Ben Affleck Will Only Do Another Batman Movie If It’s Good Enough For Him
Bad news for anyone who was hoping for another chance to watch Sad Jacked Batman emote through grunts on the big screen. Ben Affleck might be done with the whole Batman thing, and you can thank his integrity for that.
Ben spoke to The Guardian about his latest film Live by Night, which was produced by his and Matt Damon’s production company, Pearl Street. Pearl Street was also reported to be producing Ben Affleck’s self-written Batman stand-alone movie, The Batman. Batman v Superman made so much goddamn money, and I’m sure The Batman would make a lot too. But Ben Affleck is a serious filmmaker who doesn’t care about the box office numbers. Ben cares about the art; he cares so much he reportedly re-wrote the script for Batman v Superman during filming. So The Batman isn’t going to happen unless it meets Ben’s extremely high artistic standards.
Word is that he will get to direct his own superhero movie, tentatively titled The Batman. “That’s the idea. But it’s not a set thing and there’s no script. If it doesn’t come together in a way I think is really great I’m not going to do it.”
For Ben’s sake, I’m glad that time travel hasn’t been invented yet. If it had, he’d currently be getting chewed out by the Ben Affleck from the I’ll-do-anything Reindeer Games years. “What, ah ya too good to make shit now? You don’t need no jahbs? When did ya get so wicked picky?”
Ben also talked about how being famous is not that great. Ben spent the early 2000s rubbing sun tan oil on Jennifer Lopez’s ass and trying to dodge questions about Gigli. He says he looks back at that time and cringes, but he also knows getting through the crap led him to doing more well-respected work. However, being famous enough to pick and choose whether you want to make another Batman means he’s the type of A-list famous that doesn’t give him, or his kids, much privacy.
“Absolutely. I’ve been lucky. I’ve had my wildest dreams come true, but the price is the Faustian exchange you make where your identity is not your own. You become a public figure and it changes all the rules. The press can become invasive and dishonest, and you have to put up with inconvenient stuff like that. I’m at peace with paying my own price, what I’m not at peace with is when it invades on my kids’ space and time. They didn’t make any bargains. I try to shelter them as best I can. That’s my only real gripe.”
I don’t think I’d loose too much sleep if Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner never did another happy uncoupled family photo session in the parking lot of the Brentwood Country Mart. But I also know Ben’s got a publicist breathing down his thick neck to get out there and fight his (alleged) sleazeball image with some good guy cuteness. The solution is simple, really. Replace the kids with that adorable golden retriever he adopted after his marriage died. Hell, he could even send the dog out on its own some times. Or every time! Ben, just let the dog do the pap walks for you from now on.
Pic: Splash