Ben Affleck Will Not Direct A Movie For James Gunn's DC

As someone who is talented in front and behind the camera, Ben Affleck says he will not direct a movie for James Gunn’s DC Studios in its new DC slate. As complicated as his time portraying Bruce Wayne and Batman in the DCEU has been, it seems that the actor-director-producer is truly seeing the end of his superhero era.

Even though he genuinely enjoyed the time he portrayed the Dark Knight once again for the upcoming The Flash, Affleck seems to be focusing on other production opportunities on his horizon. At a time when movies may have limited prospects of viewers due to public restrictions following covid protocols, the Oscar-winning Good Will Hunting writers, Affleck and Matt Damon, are building a new production company called Artists Equity.

The company advocates the idea of profit-sharing among the people building the production. From the actors, writers, producers, directors to the crew members, editors and costume designers, everyone has involvement in moving a project forward.

Ben Affleck Isn’t Interested In DC Studios

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Affleck talked about his past projects and what shaped him to becoming the CEO that he is with Damon as the company’s Chief Creative Officer. The two go back decades, even years prior to their first Oscar win in 1998. Over a decade later, he won his second Oscar in 2013. It was for Best Picture for the movie Argo.

Ben Affleck’s numbers are impressive, displaying 82 titles under his belt as an actor, 30 as a producer, nine as a director and seven as a writer. Looking back, the actor got to share certain movies he is highly passionate about as opposed to those that he found less interesting. Affleck shared the following:

The Justice League experience, the fact that those stories became somewhat repetitive to me and less interesting. Yeah, I did finally figure out how to play that character [Batman], and I nailed it in The Flash. For the five minutes I’m there, it’s really great. A lot of it’s just tone.

A lot of reports in the past have indicated the actor did not exactly enjoy his time as Batman during the Justice League production. He said:

You’ve got to figure out, what’s your version of the person? Who is the guy that fits what you can do? I tried to fit myself into a Batman. And by the way, I like a lot of the stuff we did, especially the first one [Batman v Superman].

Talking about the time he had with Justice League, he revealed:

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.

The memory still seems to be painful for the actor-director, but thinking about how director Zack Snyder was able to turn it around, he said:

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. And one day of shooting with me and him.

He continued on retelling how Snyder offered him the opportunity to pick up shots. Affleck recalled:

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.

Ultimately, Justice League made him realize a pivotal point in his professional and personal life. He shared:

You want to go to work and find something interesting to hang onto, rather than just wearing a rubber suit, and most of it you’re just standing against the computer screen going, “If this nuclear waste gets loose, we’ll …” That’s fine. I don’t condescend to that or put it down, but I got to a point where I found it creatively not satisfying.

When asked if DC Studios would come to him to direct a project, his answer was clear:

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.

Ben Affleck Will Not Direct A Film For James Gunn’s DC Studios

Ben Affleck Says He Will Not Direct A Movie For DC Studios

Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Not because he doesn’t appreciate DC Studios but because he has set his eyes on projects that he feels more passionate about. Affleck has more than a handful of titles on his plate. First on the list is the upcoming movie Air, where he starred, produced and directed.

The upcoming movie will be Artist Equity’s first production covering the story of Michael Jordan and his family and how they came to a deal with Nike executives that changed the sneaker business for all time. The movie is set to premiere at the Southwest Film Festival on March 18 then it goes to international theatres on April 5.

Joining Affleck as cast are Viola Davis, who portrays the role of Jordan’s mother, Damon, Chris Tucker and Jason Bateman as Nike executives. Affleck portrays the Nike co-founder and former CEO Phil Knight.

As a director, Affleck is busy developing two other movies titled Keeper of the Lost City and Witness for the Prosecution, both of which he is also credited as producer. Four other titles are on his slate as producer, and he will also star in two of these projects.

Indeed the Argo star already has his hands full and has no time and energy left to even consider directing for DC Studios. Judging by the lineup of projects, it is pretty clear that the Oscar winner is pursuing projects he finds to be more interesting.

What do you think about Ben Affleck expressing that he has no intentions of directing in the new DCU or James Gunn’s DC Studios projects? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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