Ben Affleck has candidly discussed the low point of his career, reflecting on a “doomed” production where he witnessed “one of the s***tiest things” he’d ever seen.
The actor, whose new film Animals is on Netflix now, is reflecting on playing Batman in 2017’s Justice League, a film that was mired with trouble throughout its production – and was so excruciating for Affleck that he’s sworn off starring in another superhero film.
“The truth is, the experience of Justice League was so, so negative for lots of different reasons,” Affleck told Happy Sad Confused podcast.
“Some of which having to do with where I was personally, some of which having to do with the tragedy that happened during the time, and also the fact that I really saw how not to make a movie like that when the studio is at odds with the filmmaker. You’re really making a mistake. That was what really doomed that.”
Director Zack Snyder left Justice League midway through production following the death of his daughter, with Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Joss Whedon taking over directorial duties for the remainder of the film. At Warner Bros’ request, Whedon changed the film’s darker tone, drastically moving it away from Snyder’s original vision.
“Boy, that was s***ty,” Affleck recalled. “Him being taken off that movie, and the reshoots that we did – if you want the low point of my career, [it] was that. I just thought that was one of the s***tiest things I’ve ever seen. It was so gross.”
Snyder previously suggested he originally wanted to stay on, but would have needed to argue with the studio over the film’s creative direction. He wrote in the book Release the Snyder Cut: “I just was kind of done with it. I was in this place of [knowing] my family needs me more than this bulls***, and I just need to honour them and do the best I can to heal that world.”
In 2025, Affleck spoke about his negative feelings around Justice League, explaining how he allowed his personal life to affect the energy he brought to the set of Justice League, which also starred Henry Cavill as Superman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, and Ray Fisher as Cyborg.
“I mean, my failings as an actor, you can watch the various movies and judge,” he continued. “
But more of my failings of, in terms of why I had a bad experience, part of it is that what I was bringing to work every day was a lot of unhappiness. So I wasn’t bringing a lot of positive energy to the equation. I didn’t cause problems, but I came in and I did my job and I went home. But you’ve got to do a little bit better than that.”
At the time, Affleck was set to direct and star in The Batman, which would have been his first time playing the character in a solo film. However, in early 2017, he stepped back as director and sought treatment for alcoholism, and then officially exited the project two years later.
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