Ben Affleck Stepped Away From THE BATMAN Over Relapse Concerns
I actually really liked Ben Affleck in the role of Batman. I loved the suit design, and that the character was so burly and menacing looking. I know some people don’t agree with my opinion, but I wish we could have actually gotten at least one standalone movie with this version of the Dark Knight before Affleck stepped away.
It almost happened, but at this point, I think it’s safe to say that Ben Affleck’s version of Batman is done for. Warner Bros. is clearly moving forward without him. There was a lot of speculation regarding Affleck’s version of Batman and why he dropped out. A lot of people thought it was because of the drama surrounding Justice League and how the movie turned out to be a big disappointment for the studio and the fans.
It turns out that there were much deeper and more meaningful things going on in the background. During a recent interview with The New York Times, Affleck talked about his continued journey towards sobriety. He’s been very open about discussing his recovery and how he’s checked into rehab several times over the past few years. During this interview, he revealed that one of the reasons he stepped away from The Batman film he was developing, was over relapse concerns. He explained:
“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.”
He went on to explain:
“I drank relatively normally for a long time. What happened was that I started drinking more and more when my marriage was falling apart.
“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.”
I don’t Blame Affleck for wanting to drop out of the project for his well-being. If he doesn’t want to put himself through all that insanity again, he shouldn’t have to. He made the right decision in choosing to protect himself and his future.
These days, Affleck is approaching his career from a new and different angle and I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds for him.
