In 2016, actor Ben Affleck appeared for the first time in the role of Batman, in the big budget movie, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The film pitted the Dark Knight against the Man of Steel, and saw Affleck wear the famous cape and cowl in an action-packed adventure.
Following his turn in Batman v Superman, Affleck continued in the role of the Caped Crusader, appearing briefly in Suicide Squad (2016), before featuring more prominently in Justice League (2017). In Justice League, Affleck’s Batman stood alongside five other iconic DC heroes, including Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman.
While the movies were high profile features, and they largely made good money, all three of the films received very mixed reviews. All of the movies were also plagued with backstage gossip, rumours, or production problems, suggesting the projects were difficult to bring to the big screen.
One of the biggest rumours that surfaced during the production of the movies was that Ben Affleck was not a huge fan of playing Batman. Stories began to surface that the experience was not a good one, and that he was keen to leave the part once he had fulfilled his contract.
However, it has since been revealed by Affleck, that during the making of the movies he was struggling with alcohol abuse so making the Batman movies was a particularly difficult time for him. But does he regret playing Batman?
Well, from the comments he has recently made regarding the character, it would seem that he doesn’t regret taking on the role.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter Podcast, Affleck explained the reason why he agreed to play Batman, and why it was important to him. He said: “I did Batman because I wanted to do it for my kids.” He added: “I wanted to do something that my son would dig. I mean, my kids didn’t see Argo.”
To put things into context, Argo is Affleck’s historical thriller from 2012, which he produced, directed, and starred in. The movie was a big hit with the industry, picking up multiple accolades, including Best Picture at the Academy Awards, but it is not a movie aimed at children.
By playing Batman, Affleck was front and centre of a franchise that his kids could see, and hopefully appreciate. Batman is popular with audiences of all age groups, and playing the character is something that would make him a hero on and off screen.
But as noted above, the Batman movies that featured Affleck were surrounded by issues, and this will have taken the sheen off the experience – especially on Justice League, which suffered a change in director before it reached cinema screens, and was reportedly the most problematic out of the three productions. However, Affleck found a silver lining, commenting: “I wore the suite to my son’s birthday party, which was worth every moment of suffering on Justice League.”
Moving beyond Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad, and Justice League, Affleck is set to appear in the forthcoming Flash movie, which is likely to be his final appearance in the cowl. The actor wasn’t originally contracted to appear in the film, it was his choice to return to the role, demonstrating without doubt that despite a somewhat bumpy ride, and some reports to the contrary, he doesn’t regret being Batman.
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