Ben Affleck Reveals Another Key Reason For Leaving Batman Franchise

Ben Affleck decided to relinquish the cape and the cowl after portraying Batman in a pair of Zack Snyder directed films.

Affleck first suited up as the Caped Crusader in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), starring alongside Henry Cavill. He reprised his role in Justice League (2017), before stepping down from the iconic movie role.

In a recent interview with the New York Times, Affleck explained that his failing marriage and his struggles with alcohol played factors in his decision to step down from the franchise. But that wasn't it.

Affleck was interviewed by CinemaBlend, and the 47-year-old actor offered more insight in his choice to hand down the role. As it turns out, Affleck simply didn't have the drive to keep on going with another blockbuster superhero film.

"You know big blockbusters are cool and they’re great," Affleck explained. "But they’re not that fun to make, just on a very practical level, because they’re very long, they’re very compartmentalized, you’re doing one tiny piece at a time. Often times, you’re just feeling like you’re moving your foot a quarter of an inch."

"They’re hard to continue to motivate yourself, and find your passion. I stepped away from The Batman movie, because I felt like it should be made by someone whose lifelong passion it was, you know what I mean? And if that wasn’t me, then I wasn’t the right guy."

Affleck deserves credit for doing what was best for him from both personal and career standing points. If the desire wasn't there to continue working on a lucrative franchise, then he did the right thing by passing it on over to Reeves and Pattinson.

Related: Batsuit For Robert Pattinson In "The Batman" Revealed [Video]

Twilight star Robert Pattinson was cast as Affleck's replacement, while Matt Reeves was handed over directing duties for The Batman, which is slated for a 2021 release. Pattinson will be the sixth actor to portray the Dark Knight in a live theatrical film, and already the third in the 21st century.

The last two Batman films received largely negative reviews, so the pressure is on Reeves and Warner Bros. to deliver something big. Reeves is certainly headed on the right track after quickly piecing together a star-studded staff that should help the franchise rebuild almost immediately.

Aside from Pattinson, The Batman cast also includes Zoë Kravitz (Catwoman), Paul Dano (Riddler), Colin Farrell (Penguin), Andy Serkis (Alfred Pennyworth), Jeffrey Wright (Commissioner Gordon), John Turturro (Carmine Falcon) and Peter Sarsgaard (Gil Colson).

Next: James Norton Emerges As Betting Favorite To Be The Next James Bond

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