Hollywood mega star Ben Affleck has added flame to the fire over at DC Studios this week, telling The Hollywood Reporter in a feature interview that Justice League was the worst experience he had ever been a part of in a business which is full of “shitty experiences.” Affleck goes into detail about all the mishaps and wrongdoings in that film, saying that the experience ultimately broke his heart.
“Justice League … you could teach a seminar on all the reasons why this is how not to do it. Ranging from production to bad decisions to horrible personal tragedy, and just ending with the most monstrous taste in my mouth,” said Affleck via THR.
“I was going to direct a Batman, and [Justice League] made me go, ‘I’m out. I never want to do any of this again. I’m not suited.’ That was the worst experience I’ve ever seen in a business which is full of some shitty experiences. It broke my heart.”
Affleck’s truth comes as to no surprise, given the amount of problems that not only surfaced around Justice League and it’s abomination at the box office (it earned just USD$228m in the United States, and USD$656m worldwide). But in the exclusive interview with THR, the Batman star goes on to say how from his experience with the Justice League, the whole scope of DC Studios projects become repetitive and less interesting, leading to a life of discontent.
“There was an idea of someone [Joss Whedon] coming in, like, ‘I’ll rescue you and we’ll do 60 days of shooting and I’ll write a whole thing around what you have. I’ve got the secret.’ And it wasn’t the secret. That was hard. And I started to drink too much,” says Affleck.
“I was back at the hotel in London, it was either that or jump out the window. And I just thought, ‘This isn’t the life I want. My kids aren’t here. I’m miserable.’ You want to go to work and find something interesting to hang onto, rather than just wearing a rubber suit…And I thought, ‘I don’t want to participate in this in any way. And I don’t want to squander any more of my life, of which I have a limited amount.’”
When asked whether he would direct any film project in the James Gunn-led DC Universe, Affleck squandered any spark of a comeback as things stand with the new DC masthead.
“I would not direct something for the [James] Gunn DC. Absolutely not. I have nothing against James Gunn. Nice guy, sure he’s going to do a great job. I just wouldn’t want to go in and direct in the way they’re doing that. I’m not interested in that.”
Imagine being able to say that you caused BEN AFFLECK, the man who from like 2004 – 2015 was maybe the most miserable man alive, to have the worst experience of his career, that’s Joss Whedon’s power https://t.co/QIP9NnbnDh
— Sylvian (#1 Skinamarink Fan) (@TheAlexSylvian) March 16, 2023
Affleck goes on to say how Zack Snyder’s redemptive, 4-hour blockbuster, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, was the silver lining in all the dismay caused during his time filming the Whedon Justice League.
“The genius, and the silver lining, is that Zack Snyder eventually went to AT&T and was like, ‘Look, I can get you four hours of content.’ And it’s principally just all the slow motion that he shot in black-and-white,” explains Affleck.
“And one day of shooting with me and him. He was like, ‘Do you want to come shoot in my backyard?’ I was like, ‘I think there are unions, Zack. I think we have to make a deal.’ But I went and did it. And now [Zack Snyder’s Justice League] is my highest-rated movie on IMDb.
—
