Last December, newly christened DC co-head James Gunn had said that they were interested in getting ex-Batman Ben Affleck to direct his own DC project, and though it looked like that was going to be on the table, it seems that Affleck is closing the door on that opportunity.
Talking to THR, Affleck confirms, “I would not direct something for the Gunn DC. Absolutely not… I have nothing against James Gunn. Nice guy, sure he’s going to do a great job. I just wouldn’t want to go in and direct in the way they’re doing that. I’m not interested in that.”
We don’t know why Affleck would be so apprehensive when it comes to coming back to the DC banner, but it’s said that his terrible experience shooting Justice League could have had something to do with his decision. Back in the early days of the DCEU pre-studio meddling, Affleck was actually set to direct his own Batman solo movie; but things went south, and that’s how we ended up with Robert Pattinson as Batman.
For now, it looks like Affleck is going to close the chapter on his Batman with one final appearance in The Flash. We don’t know what exactly goes down, but fans are suspecting that Batfleck will die in the beginning of the film, which will result in Barry jumping to an alternat dimension where Bruce is alive—only this time, he’s played by Michael Keaton.
It’s still sad to see Affleck let go of Batman, but if he really was miserable making those film, I wouldn’t put it past him to try and move on.
For now, catch Affleck in The Flash which hits theaters on June 16.
