After officially departing the titular role in early 2019, Ben Affleck has finally opened up about leaving The Batman.
In an interview with The New York Times, Affleck described how his troubles with alcohol, his divorce from Jennifer Garner and the negative response to Justice League prompted him to abandon the role of Bruce Wayne and the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).
“I showed somebody The Batman script,” Affleck told the Times. “They said, ’I think the script is good. I also think you’ll drink yourself to death if you go through what you just went though again.”
Affleck appeared as the Dark Knight in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, and also cameoed in Suicide Squad. Rumors about his departure from the role swirled the internet in 2017 and 2018 until they were confirmed in Jan. 2019.
Before his departure, Affleck was set to direct, write and star in a Batman solo film for the DCEU. Matt Reeves eventually took over directorial and writing duties, while the role of the Caped Crusader went to Robert Pattinson.
Directed and co-written by Matt Reeves, The Batman stars Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Andy Serkis, Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Jayme Lawson and Peter Sarsgaard. The film arrives June 25, 2021.