Ben Affleck has described making Justice League as the lowest point of his acting career, citing difficult reshoots, studio-filmmaker conflict and a deeply negative working environment.
Affleck played Batman in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and 2017’s Justice League before making a brief appearance in 2023’s The Flash. He had also been attached to direct, produce, co-write and star in a standalone Batman film, but eventually left the project. Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson later took the character in a different direction with The Batman.
In a new interview, Affleck explained why another Batman performance from him is unlikely. He also reflected on the production of Justice League, calling the experience “so, so negative”. The discussion featured on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast.
A troubled production from the beginning
Affleck was dealing with personal difficulties during the film’s production, including struggles with alcoholism and the breakdown of his marriage. At the same time, director Zack Snyder stepped away in May 2017 following the death of his daughter by suicide.
Warner Bros. then brought in Avengers director Joss Whedon to complete post-production. Whedon also oversaw around two months of additional filming, resulting in substantial reshoots.
Affleck said the project showed him how damaging it can be when a studio and its filmmaker are not aligned. He connected the tension to the response to Snyder’s earlier DC film, Batman v Superman, which had been poorly received by critics and audiences.
“I really saw how not to make a movie like that when the studio is at odds with the filmmaker,” Affleck said.
He argued that the conflict ultimately doomed the production, while also saying he was “glad and gratified” that Snyder later had the opportunity to present his own version in 2021’s Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Why the reshoots became Affleck’s low point
Affleck was particularly critical of the atmosphere surrounding Whedon’s reshoots, describing them as “shitty” and identifying that period as the low point of his career. He said he was not aware of every detail at the time, but heard accounts of the wider environment from colleagues.
Actors including Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg, and Gal Gadot, who played Wonder Woman, later spoke publicly about negative experiences working with Whedon.
“The whole environment and vibe … it was just like, ‘Wow, this is about as gross as it gets,’” Affleck said.
He also said he believed Warner Bros. used Snyder’s family tragedy as an “excuse” to remove him from the project, calling the situation one of the worst things he had seen in the industry. Reports published after the film’s release claimed Snyder had in fact been fired before publicly announcing his departure.
What happened afterwards
Whedon’s career largely stalled after allegations of harassment and abuse from Fisher, Gadot and other performers who worked with him. Snyder went on to make several films for Netflix, including the Rebel Moon series.
Affleck’s film Animals had recently been released on Netflix and was already performing strongly as a streaming title at the time of the interview.
The production remains a useful case study in how creative disagreements can affect a major entertainment project. For more coverage of games, films and the wider culture surrounding interactive entertainment, visit RETROCADE’s Arcade Blog and browse the latest arcade videos.
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