Ben Affleck had his hands full when he entered the DC Extended Universe. Not only was he set to play Batman in the future films, he was supposed to helm the character's standalone movie as well. This year, that future went from crystal clear to cloudy. While his return as Batman is still unclear, he left the directorial duty to another party and he finally revealed why.
Talking to Daily Sabah, the actor said the real issue was that he did not want to helm it from a bad script, which apparently was what he was getting then. "For me, it's interesting, and I always evaluate this stuff on the merit of the material," he explained. "I want to direct a Batman movie, and I never got a script that I was happy with, so they are starting over and writing another script."
This response makes much more sense than his original statement where he reasoned out not being able to do both jobs to the level Warner Bros. requires. It is worth noting that Affleck is no dummy when it comes to handling multiple jobs on a film set. He had written, directed, and starred in movies before, including "Argo," which bagged an Oscar for Best Picture in 2013.
Playing one of the characters that drives the DCEU, it is safe to assume Affleck only wants the best for him and the studio. He has already hurt his acting career with Batman and the reception to the works of fellow directors Zack Snyder and David Ayer has been nothing if not polarized. So, it is not like he will stick around if it would only make things worse.
"Right now, I think a lot of different possibilities I think for the way the DC Universe could go, and I will just follow my interests in pursuing that," Affleck said. "And I know that I love working with this group of people, and it was a real joy for me to make this movie."
Matt Reeves is currently attached to direct "The Batman," but the film is mere guesswork at this point. It does not only lack production start and release dates, but the spin-off does not also have a lead actor committed to the role. Affleck, as previously reported, is reluctant to return as the Caped Crusader. Reeves is reportedly eyeing Jake Gyllenhaal to replace the actor, but even that has not been confirmed as well.
