It appears the experience of playing Batman in the DCEU has soured Ben Affleck off making movies based on IPs. Affleck has played two distinct superheroes, Marvel’s Daredevil in the 2003 film, and then signed on for Batman in the DCEU. Affleck first appeared in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and was signed on for multiple Justice League sequels and a Batman solo project he was set to star in as well as direct and write.
Affleck's version of The Batman eventually fell through as the director walked away from both directing and starring in it. Since the release of Justice League and essentially stepping down from the role of Batman, Affleck has collaborated with a number of high-profile directors on projects including Dee Rees' The Last Thing He Wanted, Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, Ridley Scott's The Last Duel and George Clooney's The Tender Bar. While Affleck returned to the role of Batman for reshoots on Zack Snyder’s Justice League and for the upcoming film, The Flash, it appears it is being done as a chance for Affleck to give a proper goodbye to his incarnation of Batman.
In a recent interview with The Playlist, Affleck spoke about the box office performance of The Last Duel. While lamenting the film's box office performance, he mentioned the difficulties of getting a non-IP project made and how it will be even more difficult for him since he no longer has a desire to be a part of them. Affleck said while he was a fan of making IP-based projects, he does not have a desire to do it anymore, but still has a great deal of respect for creatives who do. Affleck said:
"Once that happened with “The Last Duel,” I thought, “Well, that’s probably the last theatrical release I’ll have.” Because I don’t want to do IP movies, where you have this sort of built-in audience. That’s something I was interested in and liked, and I just don’t like anymore. I like other people who do it. And if you are going to do it, you should love it. And I love something different. So, I want to do that. Really, what’s important to me is that people see it. I mean, this is in a limited theatrical release, and that’s great. I know that 90% of people are going to see it on Amazon, and I want them to see it. I want them to see the movie. That’s more important to me."
Affleck's comments about it likely being one of his last theatrical releases especially stings, as yesterday it was confirmed that Deep Water, the erotic thriller he filmed with Ana de Armas in 2019, was skipping theaters and going straight to streaming. He is set to star in Robert Rodriguez's Hypnotic, which wrapped production in November 2021 and currently has no release date set. Affleck was set to direct an adaptation of Keeper of the Lost Cities for Disney, which itself is an adaptation of a book series that would contradict his comments, but no word has been made about the film since he was announced as director in January 2021, possibly hinting the project has fallen through.
Affleck's desire to stay away from IP films might be a good thing for both fans of his and a wider movie-going experience. While many cite Affleck as a great Batman, there is no shortage of IP-based films getting made, and Affleck’s desire to both star and direct original stories is beneficial for more variety of films getting made. Affleck has starred in blockbusters, his most famous films are arguably the original films like Good Will Hunting, the various films of Kevin Smith, and his own directorial efforts like The Town or the Academy Award-winning Argo. While adult-skewing films have struggled at the box office recently, it does not mean they should be given up on or that they have no place in the theatrical market, and directors and actors as passionate as Affleck should keep striving to make them.
Source: The Playlist
