Hindsight is a funny thing. Three years after its release, we now know that 'Justice League' was the final attempt from Warner Bros to dominate the realm of ensemble superhero movies that Marvel has reigned over for years. We also know something that the DC fans that poured into their local cinemas in droves to see it did not: 'Justice League' would be the last time that they'd see Ben Affleck don the guise of Bruce Wayne and his infamous alter-ego Batman on the big screen. Although the film received a lot of buzz in the run-up to and surrounding its release, it ended up losing a considerable sum of money for the studio, leading Warner Bros and DC to narrow their focus to tales of superheroic individuals and do what they do best: origin stories. After 'Aquaman' and 'Shazam!' were met with critical and box-office success, the production company decided to put forth the idea of 'The Batman', a new take on the superhero starring Ben Affleck that could take on 'The Dark Knight' in the modern Batman mythos. Out of the blue, however, the actor decided to step back from the project and now he's decided to share why.
"I showed somebody 'The Batman' script", Affleck told The New York 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 kept quiet for years about his reasons for leaving his Batman days behind him before now deciding to take part in an interview with the New York based publication to speak openly and honestly about the alcohol addiction that has been plaguing the actor since 2017 as a result of his divorce from Jennifer Garner. The two-time Oscar winning actor confesses that he "drank relatively normally" before but then things rapidly escalated out of control.
"What happened was that I started drinking more and more when my marriage was falling apart", says the actor. "You're trying to make yourself feel better with eating or drinking or sex or gambling or shopping or whatever. But that ends up making your life worse. Then you do more of it to make that discomfort go away. Then the real pain starts. It becomes a vicious cycle you can't break. That's at least what happened to me", he concludes.
Affleck and Garner (often referred to with the annoying tabloid moniker of 'Bennifer') began to date back in 2004 after becoming good friends on the sets of 'Pearl Harbour' and 'Daredevil'. They married in 2005 and announced their separation ten years later, with the divorce papers becoming final in 2018. Problems during the shoot of 'Justice League' combined with a rocky personal life found Affleck in one of the most difficult stages of his life, a struggle which was noticeable on camera through the considerable physical changes to the actor between early takes and the final edits added by Joss Whedon. In the interview, Affleck said that his divorce from Garner, with whom he shares three children, remains "the biggest regret" of his life.
'The Batman' Powers On
Although Ben Affleck's relationship to the world of superheroes is a complicated one, 'The Batman' moved on from the loss of its lead actor when they cast Robert Pattinson in the role of Batman instead. The film, which is directed by Matt Reeves, is currently immersed in the production process and is set to be released on the 25th June 2021. With actors such as Zoë Kravitz, Colin Farrell, Andy Serkis, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Jayme Lawson and Peter Sarsgaard, 'The Batman' looks set to move on from the world of 'Justice League' created by Zack Snyder and open a new chapter - or perhaps begin a new story entirely - in the life of Gotham's own Bruce Wayne. New beginnings, for Affleck and 'The Batman' alike, are hopefully in the air.
