The Hollywood Reporter have posted a very informative editorial on what it was that led Ben Affleck to say yes to playing the Caped Crusader in Zack Snyder's 2015 Man of Steel follow-up. As you'll see from the excerpt below, Ryan Gosling seemingly turned down the role and it took an awful lot of convincing to get The Town and Argo star agree to taking on the role. However, perhaps the biggest revelation is that the critically acclaimed actor and director has signed a multi-picture deal and that he also declined to direct and star in Fox's Daredevil reboot. If the Batman vs. Superman movie works, expect to see Affleck once again don the cape and cowl for a Justice League movie too!
Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that the process began earlier this year when director Zack Snyder had finished working on Man of Steel with producer Christopher Nolan. Snyder and the studio already had ideas for a follow-up, and Snyder reached out to Affleck to check the star's interest.
It's unclear when these talks began. Multiple sources say the studio approached Josh Brolin, as well as other actors. Ryan Gosling was also a possibility, but the actor dislikes the idea of sequels.
But Affleck was curious, and initial talks focusing on story and character began. Once Affleck was satisfied, WME's Patrick Whitesell and Ziffren Brittenham's Sam Fischer began negotiating his role in the Superman sequel. Sources say that Affleck has been signed for multiple other movies. The talks were so secretive that many Warner execs and most WME agents remained unaware of their existence.
On one level, Affleck’s return to superheroes seems bewildering. The Oscar-winning co-writer of Good Will Hunting drew scorn after donning the red suit for Daredevil, and later agreed it wasn't his best work. After he'd recovered and turned in a bravura performance directing and starring in The Town, Fox offered him the chance to direct and star in a Daredevil reboot -- but Affleck turned it down.
More recently, Nolan offered Affleck the chance to direct Man of Steel. Affleck declined, seemingly because of a desire not to return to the world of capes -- despite being an avowed comic book fan.
Because since it’s considered a sequel to Man of Steel and not a Batman movie, any potential underperformance issues won't ultimately land on his shoulders.
The deal also potentially lines Affleck up to star in and direct Warner Bros.' answer to The Avengers: The eventual Justice League movie.