Before Pattinson donned the cowl, the title belonged to Ben Affleck. After the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hit theaters, Affleck took to the drawing board, writing up a script for The Batman, his first stand-alone film as the Caped Crusader. So, why did Affleck walk away from the role?
Affleck wasn’t just going to star in the film, but direct as well. Soon after Batman v Superman, Affleck stepped down from directing. At the time, he still planned on starring in the movie.
When Justice League failed, and Matt Reeves took over the directing duties of The Batman, Affleck remained the lead role in The Batman. Then, early last year, Ben quietly stepped away from the role.
Fans clamored for any bit of insight as to why Affleck left the Dark Knight behind. No reason surfaced, although his personal life was a bit of a mess. Pattinson took the role over four months later, but no reason ever surfaced about why Affleck really departed the film.
Now, in an intimate interview with the New York Times, Affleck speaks about his alcohol issues and his failed marriage:
“I drank relatively normally for a long time. What happened was that I started drinking more and more when my marriage was falling apart. This was 2015, 2016.
My drinking, of course, created more marital problems… the biggest regret of my life is this divorce.”
Affleck goes on to talk about the issues on-set with Justice League and how he began to lose interest in the role. HE also showed the script for his Batman film to a friend:
“I showed somebody The Batman script. 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’s been in-and-out of rehab in the last few years. After his last retreat, he feels happier and healthier. His newest film, The Way Back hits theaters on March 6.
