When it was first revealed that Ben Affleck would be the official Batman of the DCEU, the decision was met with a substantial amount of backlash from those who felt that the Good Will Hunting star just wouldn’t make for a good Caped Crusader. Once 2016’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice arrived in theaters, however, even those who weren’t into the film itself could still admit that Affleck was well-cast.
In fact, once those rumors of Big Ben leaving the role were officially confirmed, social media quickly flooded with tributes from fans, a number of whom even named the Justice League star the best version of the Dark Knight ever to appear in cinemas. And though the internet is still reeling from the announcement, Affleck is now doing some reflecting on his time in the role and what went wrong.
While speaking with IGN about The Batman and in particular, its script, the actor admitted that he was never happy with it, saying:
“That was part of the problem is that 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.”
While it wouldn’t be unfair to say that Affleck got a raw deal, the fact remains that he’s now departed from the franchise, paving the way for someone new to become the DCEU’s next Caped Crusader in the character’s first solo movie since 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. And if the rumors are right, then WB’s currently seeking a younger actor to star in The Batman, and while it could be a few more months until we hear of anything on the casting front, the fans already have plenty of suggestions, ranging from Kit Harington to Robert Pattinson.
But whoever’s next in line for the part, we’ll find out if they can fare better in the role than Affleck did when The Batman arrives in theaters on June 25th, 2021.