HOLLYWOOD — Ben Affleck has experienced both successes and setbacks throughout his decades in Hollywood as an actor and director. However, when asked to identify the lowest point of his career, the filmmaker behind Animals and former Batman actor pointed to the production and reshoots of Justice League.
“Boy, that was s–tty, (Zack Snyder) being taken off that movie and the reshoots we did,” Affleck told Josh Horowitz on his Happy Sad Confused podcast on Monday. “If you want the low point of my career, it was that.”
Snyder, who helped establish the early DC Extended Universe (DCEU), the interconnected film franchise that ran from 2013’s Man of Steel to 2023’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, directed Affleck in his first appearance as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Snyder was also scheduled to direct Justice League, the franchise’s major superhero crossover and his third film in the series. However, he eventually left the production following disagreements with studio leadership and the death by suicide of his 20-year-old daughter, Autumn Snyder.
Affleck said he was particularly troubled by how Snyder’s departure unfolded.
“Somebody’s death by suicide is, that eclipses everything,” Affleck said. “And then the way in which that was, I thought, frankly, used as an excuse, I just thought was one of the s–ttiest I’d ever seen, you know? And it was so gross, and then the whole environment and vibe, much of which I wasn’t privy to, but that I sort of heard about secondhand in terms of Ray (Fisher) and Gal (Gadot) and other people’s experiences, it was just like, ‘Wow. This is about as gross as it gets.’”
Joss Whedon subsequently took over directing duties, overseeing the reshoots needed to complete Justice League. Affleck also referred to controversies surrounding the production. The finished film struggled both critically and commercially, earning only roughly $661 million. Although that was a substantial box-office total, it fell well short of expectations for the first live-action team-up featuring DC’s most iconic superheroes.
Affleck suggested that the experience also played a role in the collapse of his planned standalone Batman movie, which he had intended to direct. The project reportedly would have featured Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke and included a significant role for Arkham Asylum. It ultimately gave way to Matt Reeves’ The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson.
Despite his disappointment with the production, Affleck said he enjoyed portraying the Dark Knight, particularly the older and more damaged interpretation he and Snyder sought to bring to the screen.
“I liked playing that character, particularly this sort of older, broken, very much derived from, wholly derived from Frank Miller’s book (‘The Dark Knight Returns’),” Affleck said. “That’s what we were trying to do with that ‘Batman v. Superman.’”
Snyder eventually released his own version of Justice League in a four-hour extended cut, twice the length of the theatrical version, which premiered on HBO Max. Affleck praised Snyder for finding a way to bring his vision to audiences after fans mounted a persistent campaign demanding the release of the director’s original cut.
Looking back on the experience, Affleck said the conflict between studio executives and the filmmaker had been a major factor in the movie’s failure.
“I really saw how not to make a movie like that, which is when the studio is at odds with the filmmaker, you know, you’re really making a mistake,” Affleck said of the production.
He also expressed satisfaction that Snyder ultimately secured the release of his version of the film.
“That was what really doomed that. I was really glad and gratified that Zack got to release — and he did it in a really canny way, manipulated his way into getting his thing released, which was f–king great, and I was really happy for him.”
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