Former Batman Ben Affleck Still Wants to Direct a DC Movie

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 LADbible 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 centered around a younger and less-masterful caped crusader. Affleck officially stepped down from the role in February.

Affleck developed the script with Wonder Woman 1984 and Green Lantern Corps scribe Geoff Johns, but admitted to IGN 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, told the outlet 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 Reeves-directed Batman, telling ET Canada, "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."

Affleck served as executive producer on Justice League, which would ultimately prove to be his last appearance as Batman. Variety once reported the studio approached Affleck to direct the superhero team up, before that role was filled by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice director Zack Snyder and later completed by The Avengers director Joss Whedon.

In 2018, Variety reported Affleck turned down the director's chair on the Ezra Miller-led Flash solo movie, then titled Flashpoint. Warner Bros. backed Affleck's last three directorial projects, The Town, Best Picture winner Argo, and Live by Night.

The Batman is due out June 25, 2021.

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