The Real Reason Ben Affleck Played Batman
As DC's most famous comic character, aside from maybe Superman, Batman has had a number of live-action iterations that range from the well-loved The Dark Knight to the almost universally disliked Batman & Robin. The role comes with suitcases full of history and expectations, as fans want to see their beloved character done right. Despite the potential risks, Hollywood's most recent Batman, Ben Affleck, took the role for a very personal reason.
Affleck was warned away from the part by George Clooney, star of the disastrous flop Batman & Robin, but he didn't listen. As a part of the DC Extended Universe, Affleck put on the deep, raspy voice and the dark, pointy mask to star in the doubly disappointing films Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. His dismay for the former's poor reviews spawned the Sad Affleck meme, while a review of the latter, by The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy, remarked that Affleck "looks like he'd rather be almost anywhere else but here." It certainly hasn't been the best role for Affleck's career, so why did he take it in the first place?
Ben Affleck wanted a part his kids would like
As it turns out, Ben Affleck's career wasn't the only thing on his mind when he decided to join the DCEU. "I did Batman because I wanted to do it for my kids," Affleck told the Awards Chatter podcast. "I wanted to do something that my son would dig. I mean, my kids didn't see Argo." Affleck directed and starred in the historical drama Argo, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2013. While the film is one of his career's high points, it's also rated R, and so shelved for the kids to see at a later date. Batman, however, is a total kid-pleaser. Affleck said, "I wore the suit to my son's birthday party, which was worth every moment of suffering on Justice League."
After checking in and out of rehab for alcoholism, a problem that reemerged while working on Justice League, Ben Affleck is in a new era of his career: He's proud of his recent work in The Way Back, which could garner him an Oscar nomination. However, despite exiting the film The Batman, which will now star Robert Pattinson, he isn't completely done with the cape and cowl. He returned to Justice League last fall to do reshoots for Zack Snyder's highly anticipated director's cut and is even reprising the part in the upcoming The Flash, alongside another Batman, Michael Keaton. As awesome as it must have been for Batman to appear at his kid's birthday party, let's hope everyone watching these upcoming superhero films can have at least half as much enjoyment.