Ben Affleck reveals the 1 incredible way he'd return to Batman and the DCEU
This actually sounds pretty awesome.
Despite what his co-stars in Justice League might say, Ben Affleck will never suit up as Batman ever again. In a new interview, the actor and director closed the door on the DC Universe, though he did give one "maybe" for a return.
In an interview with DeWayne Hamby, a YouTuber and writer for BeliefNet, Ben Affleck discussed a possible return to Batman and the DCEU. Affleck begins his answer with, "Yeah, that's not the kind of..." before quickly segueing into a different thought.
"I had an opportunity to write and direct and star in a stand-alone Batman," he said, "and it happened in a point in my life when I lost interest in those stories."
Affleck added, "I'll go see Robert's [movie]. I think it's gonna be great. He's great. But this is the kind of story I'm interested in telling now." The "kind of story" Affleck refers to is his newest movie The Way Back, a sports drama about an alcoholic construction worker who takes up coaching his old high school basketball team. The movie opens March 6.
When Hamby jokes that Affleck could play an older Batman in the style of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns (which was already the direction Zack Snyder went with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 10`6), Affleck then joked that he would be open to playing Batman again a few decades from now. "Maybe a very old Batman. With a walker."
“Maybe a very old Batman. With a walker.”
Ben Affleck, as Bruce Wayne/Batman in 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.'
And that's that: Ben Affleck is done with Batman. While DC faithful may wish for Affleck's return to the Caped Crusader (here's just one of many Change.org petitions made by fans to keep him in the franchise), Affleck's involvement with the DC franchise coincided with problems in his personal life, leading to a clear disengagement with the DC Universe. Affleck divorced his wife, actress Jennifer Garner, in October 2018, a year after the release of his final onscreen appearance as Batman in the 2017 movie Justice League.
In a revealing New York Times profile published in February, Affleck revealed some advice he received after sharing with someone his script for his Batman movie: "I showed somebody The Batman script. They said, ‘I think the script is good. I also think you’ll drink yourself to death if you go through what you just went through again.’”
Despite the overall negative reception to the movies in which he played Batman, Affleck's performance remains a fan favorite element to the DC franchise. This despite an initially hostile reaction towards Affleck's casting in 2013. While Robert Pattinson has an equally uphill battle to win fans over, he at least already has one fan in the form of Ben Affleck — at least until the Justice League star decides he wants to the role back.
The Batman will open in theaters on June 21, 2021.
