Kevin Smith and Mr. Sunday Movies Explain Why Ben Affleck Left THE BATMAN
There's been a lot of talk surrounding the departure of Ben Affleck as the director of The Batman. He offered a well thought out statement that I personally think was a cover for a lot more behind-the-scenes drama that led him to step away. For months, in the interviews he was giving, it always seemed like he was never fully committed and was always making statements that would give him an out if things weren't coming together they what he hoped. He obviously wasn't happy with the way things were progressing.
Kevin Smith and Mr. Sunday Movies both offer their opinionated explanations on why they think he left. If you're interested in this kind of stuff, their opinions are definitely worth checking out because they both offer likely scenarios. Smith explains:
"Let’s talk about why? Why would this happen? I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to him in years, but here’s my take on it. Here’s my hot take. What’s the upshot? Seriously. Everybody wants that to be the greatest Batman movie ever made, and you know, in many cases, maybe the greatest Batman movie ever made has been made, called The Dark Knight, it’s a pretty wonderful film. If that’s your bar for a Batman standalone, Chris Nolan couldn’t even measure up to himself with The Dark Knight Rises. I liked it but it wasn’t received nearly as well. Let’s be honest like that Joker portrayal is for the ages. Fucking beyond brilliant and shit.
"It’s a tall order man, so maybe he’s the kind of guy who’s just like ‘why bother?’ Why am I going to step up to the plate, no matter what I do people are going to bitch? If it ain’t fucking The Dark Knight, I’m fucked, but if I’m just acting in it, my name’s Paul and this is between ya’ll, I’m just the Bat, that’s it. The guy or girl tells me what to do and go and so you got a beef with the movie? Talk to these motherfuckers. That’s easier. That’s an easier life. You don’t have to sit there and take the slings and arrows."
I honestly believe that Affleck would have given us something great with this Batman film, but now we'll never know. Hopefully, whoever the studio does hire to direct the film has what it takes to follow in the footsteps of Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan. Check out the two videos below and let us know what you think!