Ben Affleck didn’t mince words when it came to describing his experience working on the divisive DC superhero epic Justice League.
Just short of calling it a steaming pile of garbage, Affleck absolutely tore into it. He told The Hollywood Reporter (THR) the whole thing was “the worst experience I’ve ever seen in a business which is full of some sh*tty experiences, it broke my heart”.
Affleck was cast as Batman/Bruce Wayne by controversial director Zack Snyder for the then-DC Extended Universe. He debuted the role in the critically derided 2016 movie Batman vs Superman and reprised the character the following year in 2017.
The production of Justice League was famously troubled, first with the exit of Snyder from the project after a family tragedy. Snyder was replaced by Joss Whedon, and Whedon’s competing vision resulted in a disjointed film that was smashed by critics and fans, and underwhelmed at the box office.
Affleck had originally signed up to also write and direct a stand-alone Batman movie but walked away after Justice League.
In the THR interview, he explained that after Justice League, he was “out”. He said, “I never want to do any of this again, I’m not suited”.
He said of the whole Justice League shemozzle, “You could teach a seminar on all the reasons why this is how not to do it. Ranging from production to bad decisions to horrible personal tragedy, and just ending with the most monstrous taste in my mouth.”
Ezra Miller as The Flash, Ben Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman in Justice League. Photo / Supplied
Affleck said filming in London, after Whedon was brought on, drove him to drink too much. He said the experience made him miserable.
He told THR, “There was an idea of [Whedon] coming in, like, ‘I’ll rescue you and we’ll do 60 days of shooting and I’ll write a whole thing around what you have, I’ve got the secret’. And it wasn’t the secret.
“That was hard. And I started to drink too much. I was back at the hotel in London, it was either [drink too much] 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 on to, 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. And I thought, ‘I don’t want to participate in this in any way. And I don’t want to squander any more of my life, of which I have a limited amount’.”
Affleck reserved his positives from the whole debacle for Snyder, who later wrested more money out of Warner Bros’ then-parent company to reshoot and recut the footage he originally shot, to release his version of the movie, a four-hour, black-and-white cut.
The so-called Snydercut was released on streaming to enthusiastic fan reception after Snyder’s online fan army’s years-long agitation for it. However, a 2022 Rolling Stone feature revealed a significant portion of the online demand for it was driven by fake accounts and bots, amid an ugly internal battle at the studio.
Ben Affleck has been very honest about his experiences working on Justice League. Photo / AP
Affleck has one more appearance as Batman, in the upcoming The Flash movie. He said he finally “figured out how to play that character, and I nailed it in The Flash”.
He added, “For the five minutes I’m there, it’s really great. A lot of it’s just tone. You’ve got to figure out, what’s your version of the person? Who is the guy that fits what you can do?”
But just because he’s finally found his Batman doesn’t mean he’s changed his mind about the superhero genre. He really, really hasn’t.
Asked if he would work with the new management at DC studios, where filmmaker James Gunn and his producing partner Peter Safran are in charge, Affleck shot down the suggestion immediately.
“I would not direct something for the Gunn DC. Absolutely not. 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.”
And just in case he wasn’t clear there was no equivocation, Affleck added, “I’m not interested in that”.
The unusually frank comments come from a wide-ranging interview Affleck gave to THR to promote his upcoming fifth directorial feature, Air, the story of how Michael Jordan and Nike teamed up to create one of the most iconic sports shoes brands.
Affleck and long-time friend and collaborator Matt Damon have also established a new production company called Artists Equity, with the aim to share more of the profits with the people working on the films, including key crew members.
