Former Batman Ben Affleck still wants to direct DC flick
LOS ANGELES: Former Batman star Ben Affleck still hopes to direct a DC Comics film.
“I imagine it would be weird to step in and do another character. I can certainly imagine directing a movie, you know — if they (DC) would have me — if it was something I was passionate about,” Affleck told newsmen when promoting Netflix's Triple Frontier.
“It's not about like kind of closing doors on stuff, I just couldn't figure out how I wanted to do that one (next Batman film), so it became time to let someone else take a crack at it.”
Studio Warner Bros. originally tapped Affleck to write and direct The Batman before the star dropped out and handed the reigns to writer-director Matt Reeves, who took the project in a new direction centred around a younger and less-masterful caped crusader. Affleck officially stepped down from the role in January.
Affleck had developed the script with Wonder Woman 1984 and Green Lantern Corps scribe Geoff Johns, but admitted in recent days the script was “part of the problem.”
“We worked on the script, I was trying to figure out how to crack it, and I was never happy enough with it where I thought it was worth going out and making it because I just didn't want to do a version that I wasn't really excited by, so I still don't know,” Affleck said.
The star, who won his first Academy Award for penning Good Will Hunting with Matt Damon, added that in 2016 he wasn't “happy enough” with the script, adding he was committed to “the highest of standards” for the first Affleck-led solo Batman movie.
“That's something that would have to pass a very high bar for me,” he said. “It's not just like, ‘Yeah, that might be fun, let's go try this out.'”
On Jimmy Kimmel Live — where Affleck participated in a cape and cowl retirement ceremony gag — Affleck praised Johns' writing talents but acknowledged the pair “couldn't crack it.”
“So I thought it was time to let someone else take a shot at it,” Affleck said, “and they got some really good people.”
Now Affleck says he's “looking forward” to seeing the Reevesdirected Batman, noting: “They've got a great director. They're doing a kind of, I don't want to give away anything... but they're doing a young version, a more starting-out version with a younger guy.”