Ben Affleck: 'Oh S***, We Have a Problem' - The Moment He Knew He Was Done as Batman

Ben Affleck, known for his role as Batman in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, recently shared his "excruciating" experience playing the iconic character for DC in an interview with GQ. After nearly a decade in the role, Affleck expressed a significant loss of interest in the superhero genre, attributing it to his complex relationship with DC and the challenges he faced within the Snyder-verse.

"There are a number of reasons why that was a really excruciating experience," Affleck explained. He clarified that his dissatisfaction wasn't solely due to the nature of superhero films but rather a culmination of various factors. "I am not interested in going down that particular genre again, not because of that bad experience, but just: I’ve lost interest in what was of interest about it to me. But I certainly wouldn’t want to replicate an experience like that."

Affleck has previously discussed his struggles with the role, but this time he delved deeper into the reasons behind his negative experience. He pointed to a "misalignment of agendas, understandings, and expectations" as a primary cause, while also acknowledging his own contributions to the situation. "I mean, my failings as an actor, you can watch the various movies and judge. But more of my failings of, in terms of why I had a bad experience, part of it is that what I was bringing to work every day was a lot of unhappiness," he admitted. He further noted that he didn't cause problems but felt he could have brought more positive energy to the set.

Affleck's journey with DC began when he joined Zack Snyder's Batman v. Superman alongside Henry Cavill. This led to numerous cameos and even a planned standalone Batman film that was ultimately canceled. His appearances extended to team-up projects like Justice League (both the 2017 version and the 2021 Snyder Cut), The Flash, and a brief role in Suicide Squad.

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Details about the canceled Batman movie remain scarce, but rumors suggest it would have explored 80 years of the Dark Knight's history, possibly delving into Arkham Asylum and featuring Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke.

Affleck credited longtime collaborator Matt Damon for helping him decide to step away from the role, but he also mentioned that his own son played a part in his decision. "But what happened was it started to skew too old for a big part of the audience. Like even my own son at the time was too scared to watch (Batman v. Superman). And so when I saw that I was like, 'Oh shit, we have a problem.' Then I think that’s when you had a filmmaker that wanted to continue down that road and a studio that wanted to recapture all the younger audience at cross purposes. Then you have two entities, two people really wanting to do something different and that is a really bad recipe."

As DC moves forward, it is splitting its storytelling into grittier and more lighthearted paths. The former will continue with The Batman 2 in 2027, while the latter will be spearheaded by James Gunn's DCU, starting with Superman this July. However, fans should not expect to see Affleck return to direct a film in Gunn's new universe.