Ben Affleck was fully committed to his role as Batman in the DCEU up until he exited the franchise. Affleck made his debut as the Dark Knight in 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. That film saw him face off against Henry Cavill's Man of Steel before they turned their attention to a reanimated General Zod. After initial backlash to his casting, Affleck won fans over with his performance in that film.
Affleck was set to begin working on his own Batman film, one that he would write, direct, and star in. Eventually, Affleck departed that project, with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves taking over and casting Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader. The Batman is now set to release in 2022 and will take place out of the established DCEU timeline. Still, fans can't help but wonder what could have been if Affleck's film had come to fruition, with many wondering why Affleck left in the first place.
After film critic Scott Mendelson said on Twitter that Affleck was never committed to his character, Justice League storyboard artist Jay Oliva jumped to Affleck's defense. Oliva says that Affleck always wanted to be Batman and not once did he see a reticence on Affleck's part to be involved in the franchise. Oliva goes on to say that Affleck's film would have been loved by fans if it had ever gotten made.
I was working with [Ben Affleck] personally just prior to him leaving the project and not once did he seem like he didn’t want to be Batman. His version of Batman in his solo movie would have made fans proud.
Story details about Affleck's movie have steadily leaked since its cancellation, revealing just what Affleck had in store for the Caped Crusader. Affleck's exit and the film's cancellation shouldn't reflect poorly on the actor, though. In fact, the details that have emerged only help to paint a picture of a larger problem plaguing the DCEU. Behind-the-scenes turmoil has prevented the franchise from realizing its full potential. Now, fans are campaigning to get the studio back on track.
#RestoreTheSnyderVerse began trending recently after DCEU president Walter Hamada said that director Zack Snyder's original vision for the DCEU has no future at the studio. Hamada is trying to get the studio back on course after joining in 2018; he recently revealed grand plans to release up to six movies a year, two of which will hit HBO Max. Still, there's a lot to make up for when it comes to wasted potential. There's no denying Affleck is a talented filmmaker and actor - his leaving the DCEU was a big blow to the studio's future. It sounds more and more like Affleck left his role as Batman not because of a lack of passion, but because of a lack of a driving force at the head of the DCEU.
Source: Scott Mendelson/Jay Oliva
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January 05, 2021 at 05:41AM
