As James Gunn began his tenure as the new chief of DC Studios and began making clear that he’d be rebooting franchises following the past decade of the Snyderverse, he mentioned having a conversation with Ben Affleck about possibly directing a film for the now-burgeoning DC Universe.
“Met with Ben yesterday precisely because he wants to direct & we want him to direct,” Gunn tweeted in December. “We just have to find the right project.”
Met with Ben yesterday precisely because he wants to direct & we want him to direct; we just have to find the right project. https://t.co/Haz1APdlVN
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 15, 2022
That situation remained relatively quiet until early March when rumors started spreading that Affleck was in talks to direct The Brave and The Bold, which would introduce a brand new Batman for Gunn’s DCU. As the unconfirmed rumor spread, fans accused Gunn of being a “professional liar” because he mentioned in an interview that if Affleck did direct a movie, it would not be a new Batman film.
Turns out, Gunn was telling the truth because Affleck is not interested in directing The Brave and The Bold, or any DC movie for that matter.
“I would not direct something for the [James] Gunn DC. Absolutely not,” Affleck bluntly told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview to promote his new movie Air. “I have nothing against James Gunn. Nice guy, sure he’s going to do a great job. I just wouldn’t want to go in and direct in the way they’re doing that. I’m not interested in that.”
As for Affleck’s reluctance to step back into the world of superhero films, the actor is still haunted by his experience on the Justice League movie, which made him walk away from his Batman role. Via THR:
That was hard. And I started to drink too much. I was back at the hotel in London, it was either that or jump out the window. And I just thought, “This isn’t the life I want. My kids aren’t here. I’m miserable.” You want to go to work and find something interesting to hang onto, rather than just wearing a rubber suit, and most of it you’re just standing against the computer screen going, “If this nuclear waste gets loose, we’ll …” That’s fine. I don’t condescend to that or put it down, but I got to a point where I found it creatively not satisfying. Also just, you’re sweaty and exhausted.
“I don’t want to participate in this in any way,” Affleck ultimately decided about the DC Films. “And I don’t want to squander any more of my life, of which I have a limited amount.”
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)