JUSTICE LEAGUE: Ben Affleck On The Reason He Signed Up To Play Batman In The First Place
The chatter lately has been focused on whether Ben Affleck will return to play The Dark Knight in Matt Reeves' The Batman, but what about why Affleck signed up for the role in the first place?
"'He looks tired. He definitely wants out of the role."
Whether that's true or not, with all the controversy and pessimism that's followed Ben Affleck ever since he was first announced as Bruce Wayne/Batman back in August 2013, it's certainly understandable why he might be ready to vacate such a high profile role. At the onset of the announcement, Affleck was coming off of an Oscar-BAFTA-Golden Globes sweep of Best Picture/Drama wins for Argo. Many wondered if he would make a full transition from acting to directing.
However, he's been stuck in a rut of critically divise films of late with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and The Accountant all failing to strike a chord with audiences. Combined with the boisterous online fanboy community that's been calling for his ouster from the role of Batman since day one and a recent public black-eye stemming from the resurfacing of a 2003 groping incident and Affleck could obviously use some time out of the public spotlight. Instead, he finds himself on a whirlwind promotional tour for Justice League, a film that may ultimately prove to be just as contentious as Dawn of Justice.
But what about the reason why Affleck initially signed up for the role four years ago? Why did he initially agree to direct himself in The Batman? Appearing on The Jimmy Kimmel Live show last night, Affleck revealed, "Literally, the reason I took this movie was imagining that, like, you know… wearing that costume and having my son see me. You know? Everybody wants their kid to think of them as a superhero. You know, before they get too smart."
Check out the video below, where Affleck reveals that his son wanted to be a certain DC superhero for Halloween but it wasn't the Caped Crusader. It really hasn't been Affleck's year...