Ben Affleck had an absolutely cracking few years as an actor and director, culminating in Argo winning Best Picture at the Oscars. It rubber stamped one of the most impressive comebacks in modern cinema and it's not even his best film - take a bow Gone Baby Gone.
But last year Batman V Superman debuted to scathing reviews, if healthy box office - Affleck may have felt the former took the shine off of a stunning winning streak. Both Gone Girl and The Accountant had been smashes; then his fourth film as a director, Live By Night, was a bomb and he pulled out of directing The Batman - citing juggling too many jobs.
Now, according to Collider, there are rumours he wants out of the franchise completely - which would throw the entire DC universe into disarray. Remember, we still have the mammoth-budgeted Justice League and Wonder Woman this year.
The follow is taken from the Collider Movie Podcast (via Uproxx)
“Take this for what it’s worth. This is from a guy who has been burned twice by scoops, so please take this with a massive, massive grain of salt. Over the past four days, I’ve talked to three separate people, who are connected in some way, to what is going on over at Warner Bros. What all three have told me, nothing about whether the script was thrown out or whether they liked the script, nothing about the direction that Matt Reeves is taking it in, nothing about that. What has come out of the conversation with all three was this. They’re telling me that, Ben Affleck, make no mistake, he does want out. He doesn’t want to be Batman anymore. I have been told that Affleck is talking with Warner Bros. in an attempt to get out of being Batman. If they do not let him out of being Batman, that the stand alone Batman film that ultimately happens, will be the last time we see Affleck as Batman, because he apparently wants out.”
That would be a shame because whether people moan or not, he's a good fit for the role and Matt Reeves is an excellent choice as director.
