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, has candidly shared his challenging journey within the DC universe. In a recent GQ interview, Affleck reflected on his decade-long tenure as the Caped Crusader, describing it as an "excruciating" experience. This sentiment stems not only from the complexities of working within the Snyder-verse but also from a broader disillusionment with the superhero genre itself.

"There are a number of reasons why that was a really excruciating experience," Affleck explained. "And they don’t all have to do with the simple dynamic of, say, being in a superhero movie or whatever. 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, but this interview sheds more light on the underlying issues. He attributed much of the difficulty to a "misalignment of agendas, understandings, and expectations" within the DC team. However, he also acknowledged his own contributions to the negative experience, admitting that he brought a lot of "unhappiness" to the set.

"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 confessed. "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. His involvement continued with various cameos and even a planned standalone Batman film that never came to fruition. Fans will recall his appearances in projects like Justice League (both the 2017 and 2021 versions), The Flash, and a brief role in Suicide Squad.

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While details about the canceled Batman movie remain scarce, rumors suggest it would have delved into 80 years of Batman's history, possibly exploring Arkham Asylum and featuring Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke.

Affleck credits longtime collaborator Matt Damon for helping him decide to step away from the role, but he also mentioned his son's reaction to Batman v. Superman as a significant factor. "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,'" he said.

"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 continues to evolve, it is now separating its darker and more lighthearted narratives into distinct paths. The darker tone will persist with The Batman 2 slated for 2027, while the lighter side will be introduced with James Gunn’s DCU, starting with Superman in July. However, fans should not anticipate Affleck's return to direct in Gunn’s new DC universe.