Report: Ben Affleck Turned Down Directing ‘Flashpoint’ Movie

In the wake of the surprise announcement of new directors for the Flashpoint movie, the report also contained information that adds another wrinkle to the ongoing saga of Ben Affleck‘s relationship with Warner Bros.

The new report from Variety states Warner Bros. approached Affleck to return to the director’s chair for the Flash “solo” movie, but the actor declined the job.

Affleck was previously set to write, direct, and star in the solo Batman movie, spinning out of his appearances in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Justice League. But personal issues and professional missteps all took part in his decision to step away from the project.

It remains to be seen what capacity Affleck will have in the future of Warner Bros.’ DC Films projects, but after rumors that the studio had soured on his involvement and were ready to move on to Jake Gyllenhaal, this definitely adds more intrigue to the saga.

Affleck has been vocally excited for continuing on in his role as the Caped Crusader… depending on the day he’s asked. At San Diego Comic-Con, he expressed enthusiasm at the idea of working with new writer/director Matt Reeves, who was brought onto the project after Affleck abandoned his helming duties.

But he started changing his tune during the promotional period for Justice League, hedging his bets about his future while leaving the door open for a potential return.

And though we’ve heard rumors that Warner Bros. has soured on his involvement in the DC cinematic universe moving forward, how accurate can those reports be if they approached Affleck to direct the Flashpoint movie?

Of course, we don’t know the timeline of these events and now that John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein have been hired to direct Ezra Miller in his first big solo movie as The Fastest Man Alive, it could all be moot.

But then again, it all adds more perspective to the ongoing saga that is the DC Films shared universe, where directors come and go at any time in the production phase. We’re interested in seeing where Affleck lands when all is said and done.

There’s no scheduled release date for the Flashpoint movie at this time.