If you’re looking for someone to blame for why Ben Affleck quit being Batman (arguably on the cusp of DC movie greatness) you may not have to look any further than his old pal, Matt Damon. Apparently, Damon was a major influence on Ben Affleck’s decision to hang up the cape and cowl in Warner Bros.’ DCEU franchise – and this is coming from Affleck himself! In a new interview, Affleck describes his batman decision in the larger context of being at an unhappy place in his life, and Damon helping to give him perspective on only seeking out things that brought joy – which apparently wasn’t Batman.
Affleck and Damon (who won an Oscar together in for writing Good Will Hunting) recently re-teamed for Ridley Scott’s period drama The Last Duel. One promo for that film has Affleck and Damon interviewing each other – which is exactly where this new fact about Affleck’s Batman exit came out:
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“I had a really nadir experience around Justice League for a lot of different reasons,” Affleck recalls in the interview (via ). “Not blaming anybody, there’s a lot of things that happened. But really what it was is that I wasn’t happy. I didn’t like being there. I didn’t think it was interesting. And then some really s—ty things, awful things happened. But, that’s when I was like, ‘I’m not going to do that anymore.’”
Affleck goes on to single out Damon for his influence on the situation:
“In fact, I talked to you about it and you were a principal influence on that decision. I want to do the things that would bring me joy. Then we went and did Last Duel and I had fun every day on this movie. I wasn’t the star, I wasn’t likable. I was a villain. I wasn’t all the things I thought I was supposed to be when I started out and yet it was a wonderful experience. And it was all just stuff that came along that I wasn’t chasing.”
Well, it’s good that Ben Affleck has found a way to a happier place in his career, and that he’s enjoying life right now. However, ironically enough, last year may have painted a very different picture. Affleck starred in just three films in 2021: The Last Duel, his “fun” film, crashed and burned at the box office; while The Tender Bar has earned Affleck a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Meanwhile, DC fans fought and finally won to have Zack Snyder’s Justice League released – including Affleck’s true Batman performance – and it became one of the biggest events in entertainment all year. Affleck’s next big mainstream film appearance will be in DC’s The Flash movie, which is presumed to be the official end of his version of Batman before Batgirl actress Leslie Grace is rumored to take the mantle in DC’s movie franchise.
