Ben Affleck has spoken candidly about his challenging experience making 2017's Justice League, labeling the production a "low point" in his acting career. The actor, who portrayed Batman in the film, cited significant studio interference and a generally negative environment as primary reasons for his dissatisfaction.
Affleck's tenure as the Caped Crusader was intended to include a solo directorial effort, but this project ultimately shifted, leading to his appearances in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. The production of Justice League itself was fraught with difficulties, beginning with the departure of original director Zack Snyder in May 2017 following a personal tragedy. Joss Whedon was brought in to complete the film, overseeing reshoots that significantly altered the movie.
"The whole environment and vibe, much of which I wasn't privy to, but that I sort of heard about secondhand in terms of Ray [Fisher] and Gal [Gadot] and other people's experiences, it was just like, 'Wow, this is about as gross as it gets,'" Affleck stated in an interview on Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast. He expressed that the tension between Warner Bros. and Snyder, particularly after the critical reception of Batman v Superman, "really doomed that" film.
Affleck referred to the reshoots overseen by Whedon as "shitty" and the "low point" of his career. Reports later indicated that Snyder was reportedly fired by Warner Bros. before announcing his departure. Affleck noted he was glad Snyder was eventually able to realize his vision for the film with 2021's Zack Snyder's Justice League.
While Affleck's Batman tenure concluded with Justice League, his recent Netflix film, Animals, has become a streaming success. Meanwhile, Joss Whedon has faced allegations of misconduct from cast members of Justice League, and his career has seen diminished public output since. Zack Snyder has continued directing projects, notably the Rebel Moon series for Netflix.