Ben Affleck's time in the DC Extended Universe was filled with ups and downs and despite the fact that fans have grown to love his take on Batman and at one point considered him as the definitive live-action version of the caped crusader, that just wasn't enough to keep his enthusiasm at a high level. In 2019, Affleck announced his departure from the DCEU and dropped out of his supposed The Batman film, a project that would later be given to Robert Pattinson.
Affleck previously admitted that the reason for his exit was due to the fact that he couldn't come up with a compelling story for the film which would have served as a prequel. Now, ahead of his final outing as the Dark Knight in The Flash, the actor is revealing more details about his controversial decision to leave the franchise.
Speaking with the LA Times, Affleck opened up about his flashpoint that led to his exit. He said: "I looked at (directing Batman) and thought, 'I’m not going to be happy doing this. The person who does this should love it.' You’re supposed to always want these things, and I probably would have loved doing it at 32 or something. But it was the point where I started to realize it’s not worth it. It’s just a wonderful benefit of reorienting and recalibrating your priorities that once it started being more about the experience, I felt more at ease."
Also Read: Ben Affleck Officially Stepping Down as Batman After The Flash
It's an absolute shame that things didn't go as planned because I've always believed that Affleck was the perfect depiction of a modern-day Batman. However, he does raise some pretty valid points regarding his skepticism about the supposed project and while I would've wanted to see him stick around, the DCEU is too much of a colossal mess right now that not even Bruce Wayne could save it.
Matt Reeves' The Batman is slated for release on March 4, 2022. Meanwhile, Affleck's final DCEU project The Flash hits cinemas in November.
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