Movie-going audiences got to know Ben Affleck primarily as an actor first, having starred in early 1990s movies like School Ties, Dazed and Confused, and Glory Daze, but a successful reinvention within the last decade has turned him into one of the most respected directors in the industry. As a result of this, in combination with his signing on to play Bruce Wayne/Batman in the growing DC Cinematic Universe, many have wondered if we may eventually see the performer/filmmaker helm a comic book film of his very own. Right now, nothing is on the books, but Affleck has revealed that he could certainly be motivated to take on a superhero blockbuster in the near future.
Along with many of his DCCU cohorts, Ben Affleck took part in a Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice press conference last week in Los Angeles, and it was during the proceedings that the actor/director was asked about the possibility of someday directing his own DC Comics film. Affleck was non-committal – seeming far from ready to make any kind of big announcements on the matter – but most certainly did keep the door open by saying that all he would need would be the right script to spark his passion. He explained,
Sure, I would. For me, as a director, it’s about the material and the characters, so if I found the right material, I would definitely throw my hat in the ring to direct something on this scale. I’m definitely bolder now, certainly having learned from and watched Zack and Chris put this movie together.
Of course, this is far from the first time that Ben Affleck has been mentioned in connection with the idea of him directing a film based on a DC Comics property. Years ago it was actually suggested that he could have been the one to take the helm of the Justice League project that was in development at Warner Bros. – but more recently he has been connected to the unofficial next Batman solo movie. In July 2015, a report came out saying that he was going to be co-writing a new Caped Crusader movie along with DC executive Geoff Johns, and that he would be helming the film himself. Based on Affleck’s comments, it doesn’t seem like that’s quite a done deal/guarantee at this stage.
The good news is that should Ben Affleck eventually take on a superhero film as a director, he’s already had quite a bit of learning experience in the area. During the same Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice press conference, Affleck also explained that he basically got a masters class from working with Zack Snyder and seeing the filmmaker navigate the massive scale of the production they were working on together:
One of the really valuable things about it for me, aside from the personal experience of playing the part, was watching a guy who really understands how to make films on this level - with cutting edge technology, combining in camera stuff with visual effects and stunts and practical effects and all the tools at a director’s disposal and seeing how Zack sort of meticulously constructed that using literally hand-drawn story-boards, frame by frame and evolving those into the movie that you saw, with a consistent vision. I wondered about directing movies like this before and it was really a very valuable learning experience for me to watch Zack do it and see how he did it, so I felt like, you know, if that day did come, I’d definitely pick up a lot of valuable information.
Do you want to see Ben Affleck eventually take the helm of a DC Comics movie? Hit the comments with your thoughts, and check out Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in theaters this Friday, March 25th.
