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

Ben Affleck, star of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, has candidly discussed the "excruciating" nature of his decade-long stint as the Caped Crusader in the DC universe. In a recent interview with GQ, Affleck delved into the challenges he faced while being a central figure in the so-called Snyder-verse, revealing that his experience was marred by a complex relationship with DC, ultimately leading to his disinterest in the superhero genre.

"There are a number of reasons why that was a really excruciating experience," Affleck explained. He clarified that his reluctance to revisit the genre isn't solely due to the negative experience but rather a loss of interest in what once captivated him. "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 touched on this topic before, but this time he elaborated on the root of his poor experience, attributing it to a "misalignment of agendas, understandings, and expectations." He acknowledged his own shortcomings, admitting, "I wasn’t bringing anything particularly wonderful to that equation at the time, either."

Reflecting on his performance, Affleck said, "My failings as an actor, you can watch the various movies and judge. But more of my failings, 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. So I wasn’t bringing a lot of positive energy to the equation. I didn’t cause problems, but I came in and I did my job and I went home. But you’ve got to do a little bit better than that."

Affleck's journey with DC began when he joined Zack Snyder's Batman v. Superman alongside Henry Cavill. This led to a series of cameos and the eventual cancellation of his standalone Batman project. Fans will remember his roles in Justice League (both the 2017 original and the 2021 Snyder Cut), The Flash, and even a brief appearance in Suicide Squad.

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As for the canceled Batman film, details on how it would have covered 80 years of the Dark Knight's history remain unclear, though rumors suggested it might have delved into Arkham Asylum and possibly featured 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 crucial role 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."

DC is now navigating a new direction, splitting its darker and more lighthearted narratives into distinct paths. The darker side will continue with The Batman 2 in 2027, while the lighter tone will be further explored with James Gunn's DCU, beginning with Superman this July. As for Affleck, he has ruled out returning to DC to direct a film in Gunn's new universe.