The Batman filmmaker Matt Reeves recently discussed the iteration of the project that would have starred DC Extended Universe star Ben Affleck, comparing its depiction of the Dark Knight to the iconic spy, James Bond, and his long-running spy thrillers.
During an appearance on The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith, Reeves explained, "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."
Following several appearances across Warner Bros.' DCEU, Affleck was set to write, direct and star in a solo Batman project. However, after several years in development, he was ultimately unable to compose a version of the script that satisfied him.
Just prior to the release of The Batman, Affleck explained, "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."
This came after the behind-the-scenes chaos that surrounded 2017's Justice League, as well as the poor reception and heavy criticism of the film. Affleck went so far as to describe the entire endeavor one of the worst experiences of his career. However, he did clarify that was also due to various issues in his personal life.
He explained in a previous 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