Even the best and brightest make mistakes and have regrets in an industry that makes them a multi-millionaire. Ben Affleck's short stay in the Marvel world fared incredibly poorly. With his take as Daredevil in 2003 alongside his former partner Jennifer Garner, Colin Farrell and the late Michael Clarke Duncan, bombing with critics while making nearly $100m in profit.
Speaking at a live Q&A for TimesTalks, the actor appeared comfortable and confident enough to open up on that speedbump of an experience. All to argue that the flop could have been so much different if they had taken a leaf out of the current television series. The fascinating chat came on the cusp of his new gangster flick Live By Night to give 45 minutes of his time in front of an excited and engaged audience.
Frustrated Affleck Wishes For Gift of Hindsight
Starting with his role in DC, the actor/filmmaker outlines how he was initially approached for the project.
"(Warner Brothers) came to me and they said they wanted to do a Batman-Superman version modeled on the comic book The Dark Knight Returns. Which is a Frank Miller comic where Batman and Superman were at odds with each other," started Affleck. "It had a very dark tone and it is well known in the comic book world, and I thought we definitely want to do that."
Then without even being prompted by the interviewer, Affleck identified a past role as inspiration for his choice to play the caped crusader.
"For once I wanted to get one of these movies and do it right because I hated Daredevil so much. You know what I mean?" With the audience starting to laugh, he expanded on this further. "No, don't feel bad for me. It frustrated me. The Netflix show does realy cool stuff and there was stuff there to do with that character and I never got it right. I wanted to do something right."
Motivation The Key To Play Old Bruce
Understanding that his body does not have the recovery powers it once had, Affleck said that a fear of being embarrassed would get him into shape to play Batman.
"I was working out for fear of embarrassment because if I walk out there as a 40-year old Adam West it would look horrendous and people will think 'You can't beat anyone up!'"
The scheduling of future plans then came front of mind.
"We just finished Justice League in London last summer," said Affleck. "We still have to get a screenplay and put it together... there is nothing I would love to do more than direct a stand alone Batman movie."
Source: Collider
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