Batman actor Ben Affleck has slammed Warner Bros. for how they handled the production of Justice League and called the experience the lowest post of his career.
When speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Affleck was asked about his canceled standalone Batman film, which would’ve featured Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke. The actor/director said he was excited by what he was cooking up for that Batman film, but admitted that the experience of working on Justice League turned him off to the idea of having to helm a movie in the DC universe.
“The truth is, the experience of Justice League was so, so negative for lots of different reasons,” said Affleck. “Some of which having to do with where I was personally, some of which having to do with the tragedy that happened during the time, and also the fact that I really saw how not to make a movie like that when the studio is at odds with the filmmaker. You’re really making a mistake. That was what really doomed that.”
Affleck is referencing the fact that WB battled director Zack Snyder pretty heavily on his DC films, most notably Justice League after Batman v Superman failed to meet critical expectations. The film was also deemed a bit of a disappointment by WB for not cracking the $1 billion mark, despite featuring three of DC’s biggest heroes. As a result, there was a lot of pressure on Snyder to make Justice League more appealing via a lighter tone and different story ideas.
Unfortunately, Snyder had to leave the project during post-production after his daughter took her own life. Warner Bros. then enlisted the help of Avengers director Joss Whedon to come in and direct reshoots, which massively changed the film’s tone and story. The reshoots were also hampered by allegations of actors being mistreated by Whedon and other issues, which Affleck stated he was aware of second-hand. He also went on to say that he believes WB used the tragedy in Snyder’s family to as an “excuse” to hijack Justice League. He noted that the experience of these reshoots was the “low point” of his career.
“The way in which that was, I thought frankly, used as an excuse was one of the sh**tiest things I’d ever seen,” said Affleck. “It was so gross. And then the whole environment and vibe, much of which I wasn’t privvy to, but that I sort of heard about second hand in terms of Ray [Fisher] and Gal [Gadot] and other peoples’ experiences. It was just like ‘Wow, this is about as gross as it gets.'”
Affleck’s experience on Justice League was also intertwined with a divorce and issues with alcoholism, leading to a turbulant time for the actor. He eventually stepped down away from the role of Batman and decided not to direct his own Batman film, instead passing the baton over to director Matt Reeves and actor Robert Pattinson. He eventually returned to the role for The Flash, as well as new scenes at the end of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, a director’s cut of the embattled film.
Zack Snyder also recently stated that a former WB executive expressed regret over how everything was handled. Some hardcore fans have held out hope that maybe one day Snyder’s vision will be completed with another Justice League movie, but given how chaotic and negative the experience was for everyone involved, it seems hard to imagine it actually happening.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
