Ben Affleck Opens Up About The Batman Exit

The past few years have been a rollercoaster for the DC Extended Universe’s reboot of The Batman, with 2019 seeing a major hit come in the form of star Ben Affleck stepping down from the role, with the actor’s trip to rehab seemingly being the cause of this. In an interview with the New York Times, the 47-year-old actor opened up about his decision to exit the long-delayed project.

The star spoke about his many struggles with alcoholism throughout his life, making multiple trips to rehab over the years including his latest stint in 2018, which also led to issues shooting 2017’s Justice League and to the long-term separation and divorce from Jennifer Garner (Alias). While his performance as the Dark Knight received positive reviews from fans and he kept mum on whether he would return to the role for a whole year, he confirmed at the end of January that he would be retiring from the role, partially on the advice from an unnamed friend.

“I showed somebody the Batman script,” Affleck said. “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 through again.‘”

While this relapse has been tough for the star and his family, he is looking to bounce back this year, beginning with the sports drama The Way Back, in which he stars as a former basketball player struggling with alcoholism who is offered a coaching job at his alma mater, forcing him to confront his demons. The film, directed by The Accountant‘s Gavin O’Connor, is set to hit theaters on March 6.

Warner Bros. Pictures has confirmed all of the cast and crew for the film. Starring alongside Robert Pattinson’s Batman/Bruce Wayne is Zoë Kravitz (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Mad Max: Fury Road) as Selina Kyle; Paul Dano (Love & Mercy, 12 Years a Slave) as Edward Nashton; Jeffrey Wright (the Hunger Games films) as the GCPD’s James Gordon; John Turturro (the Transformers films) as Carmine Falcone; Peter Sarsgaard (The Magnificent Seven, Black Mass) as Gotham D.A. Gil Colson; Jayme Lawson (Farewell Amor) as mayoral candidate Bella Reál; with Andy Serkis (the Planet of the Apes films, Black Panther) as Alfred; and Colin Farrell (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Dumbo) as Oswald Cobblepot.

Reeves and Dylan Clark (the Planet of the Apes films) are producing the film, with Simon Emanuel, Michael E. Uslan, Walter Hamada and Chantal Nong Vo serving as executive producers.

Reeves’ behind-the-scenes creative team includes Oscar-nominated director of photography Greig Fraser (Lion, Dune); his Planet of the Apes production designer, James Chinlund; editors William Hoy (the Planet of the Apes films) and Tyler Nelson (Rememory); and Oscar-winning VFX supervisor Dan Lemmon (The Jungle Book); Oscar-nominated SFX supervisor Dominic Tuohy (1917, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker).

Also on board are Oscar-nominated sound mixer Stuart Wilson (1917, the Star Wars franchise); Oscar-winning costume designer Jacqueline Durran (1917, Little Women, Anna Karenina) and costume designers Glyn Dillon (the Star Wars franchise) and David Crossman (1917, the Star Wars franchise); hair designer Zoe Tahir (No Time to Die, Spectre); and Oscar-nominated makeup designer Naomi Donne (1917). As was previously confirmed, Michael Giacchino (Cloverfield, Let Me In, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) will be composing the score for the film.

The Batman opens in theaters on June 25, 2021.

(Photo Credit: Backgrid Images)