Ben Affleck admits his one big regret is still Daredevil and that’s why when he was initially offered the role of Batman he turned it down…
By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer
Ben Affleck knew exactly what you were going to say before you said it.
The veteran actor and star of films such as Argo and The Town didn’t step into his new role as Batman for the upcoming Man of Steel sequel currently being called ‘Batman vs. Superman’ without a clear head about what he was getting himself into.
According to Affleck in a new interview with Playboy, he wasn’t even going to take the role when Warner Bros. offered him the spot as Batman in the new film, but after meeting with directly Zack Snyder and seeing what he had put together for a script, his mind was changed immediately.
“When they asked if I would be Batman, I told them I didn’t see myself in the role and I was going to have to beg off,” Affleck said. “They said I’d fit well into how they were going to approach the character and asked me to look at what the writer-director, Zack Snyder, was doing. The stuff was incredible. It was a unique take on Batman that was still consistent with the mythology. It made me excited. All of a sudden I had a reading of the character. When people see it, it will make more sense than it does now or even than it did to me initially.”
The minute Affleck decided to take the part, the executives at Warner Bros. warned him right away what he was in for in terms of backlash from the fans on social networking sites like Twitter not to mention a slew of self-described ‘experts’ who would all weigh in on his casting. Affleck, who has been around the business for more than five minutes, already understood that criticism without base is part of what actors go through when they take a part or become attached to a movie.
Affleck surely saw what Heath Ledger endured when it was announced that he would be The Joker in the Christopher Nolan film ‘The Dark Knight‘ so he was ready for the onslaught and prepared to just kill them with kindness.
The other problem Affleck had going against him when the movie was announced was the fact that he already starred in another high profile superhero flick — Daredevil — and to say that bombed would be a massive understatement.
The good news for Batman fans is Affleck says that if he read the script for the Man of Steel sequel and he got any indication that it was another Daredevil, he would have walked away immediately.
“I understand I’m at a disadvantage with the internet. If I thought the result would be another Daredevil, I’d be out there picketing myself. Why would I make the movie if I didn’t think it was going to be good and that I could be good in it?” Affleck stated.
While his career is now littered with commercial and critical successes, Affleck still goes back to Daredevil as the one big regret he has in his time as a filmmaker. The character and idea had so much promise, but once the final product made it to theaters it just wasn’t what Affleck signed on for when he accepted the role.
“The only movie I actually regret is Daredevil,” Affleck said. “It just kills me. I love that story, that character, and the fact that it got fucked up the way it did stays with me. Maybe that’s part of the motivation to do Batman.”
The entire interview with Affleck is pretty incredible stuff and recommended reading for anyone that’s a fan or critic of the actor/director. Affleck seems like the kind of person smart enough to understand what he’s signing up to do and after a second Oscar with his work on Argo, you have to imagine he’s only doing what he wants to do at this point. On paper, Affleck sounds like he’s really ready to tackle Batman but the only way anyone will know for sure is to wait until 2015 when the film hits theaters.
