Matt Reeves Compares Ben Affleck’s Batman to James Bond
The Batman director Matt Reeves recently sat down to discuss the version of the project that would have starred DCEU star Ben Affleck, comparing its Batman depiction to James Bond, and his spy thrillers.
While making an appearance on The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith, Reeves said, “The movie was originally going to be directed by Ben Affleck, and the script they sent me had been written by Ben but rewritten by another very talented writer, and when I read it, I was like, ’Oh, I get it.'” He continued, “It was a standalone Batman film that was centered on Ben’s version of the character, but it was more action-driven than what I felt I could do. I didn’t connect to the movie-in terms of me as a filmmaker. It was very James Bond-ian; it was filled with a lot of set pieces. It could have been a very exciting movie for someone else to do, but it wasn’t for me to do.”
Ben Affleck Was Set To Write, Star, And Direct A Batman Film
After various appearances across DCEU, Affleck was set to direct, write, and star in a solo Dark Knight project. However, after years in development, he was unable to come up with a version of the script that satisfied him.
Right before the release of The Batman, Affleck said, “Directing [The] Batman is a good example. I looked at it and thought, ‘I’m not going to be happy doing this. The person who does this should love it.’ You’re supposed to always want these things, and I probably would have loved doing it at 32 or something.”
Justice League Received Heavy Criticism
This came after the BTS chaos around Justice League (2017), and the poor reception and heavy criticism it received. Affleck went on to describe the whole endeavor as the worst experience of his whole career. However, he also clarified that was also thanks to many ongoing issues in his personal life.
Affleck Was Also Dealing With Personal Issues
He revealed in an earlier interview, “That was a bad experience because of a confluence of things: my own life, my divorce, being away too much, the competing agendas and then [director] Zack [Snyder]’s personal tragedy… and the reshooting. It just was the worst experience. It was awful. It was everything that I didn’t like about this. That became the moment where I said, ‘I’m not doing this anymore.'”
Source: The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith, via ComicBook.com
