Ben Affleck may have been a major movie star and regular tabloid fodder during the early 2000s, but the A-lister first rose to mainstream prominence for his talents on the other side of the camera after winning an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay back in 1997 when he co-wrote Good Will Hunting with longtime best friend Matt Damon.
However, it would be another ten years until he made his directorial debut, and his reinvention as an acclaimed filmmaker led to a full-blown career renaissance. Gone Baby Gone, The Town and Argo all received rave reviews from critics, with the latter netting him a second Academy Award for Best Picture, and he also won the Golden Globe for Best Director despite not even being nominated for an Oscar in the same category.
This instantly made his take on The Batman one of the most exciting comic book blockbusters on the horizon, especially when he won over plenty of the naysayers with his grizzled and imposing debut as the Caped Crusader in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. However, after initially dropping out of the director’s chair, Affleck eventually retired from the role altogether, although he’s since reversed his decision.
Forbes’ Scott Mendelson recently posted on social media claiming that the actor’s apathy towards the part caused the entire DCEU to be retooled, but he was quickly shut down by regular Zack Snyder collaborator and Man of Steel and Batman V Superman storyboard artist Jay Oliva, who’s also directed a handful of DC animated movies.
I'm curious where you got this info from Scott? Did Ben tell you this because I was working with him 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 mad fans proud.
— Jay Oliva (@jayoliva1) December 29, 2020
Oliva is clearly better placed to pass comment having closely worked with Snyder and Affleck in the DCEU, while the actor has since revealed that it was concerns over his personal well-being that forced him to temporarily step away from the cape and cowl and abandon The Batman. Whatever the case may be, though, we’ve no doubt that it would’ve made the fans proud, as Oliva says.
