Featured Image Credit: Alamy/Xinhua / Warner Bros. Pictures
Topics: Film and TV, Ben Affleck, Justice League, DC Comics
Gregory Robinson
Topics: Film and TV, Ben Affleck, Justice League, DC Comics
Ben Affleck has shared how the ‘monstrous’ Justice League film led to him to ‘drink too much’.
The 2017 team-up film saw all the biggest names from the DC Extended Universe come together on the big screen.
After starring in Batman vs. Superman as the caped crusader for the first time the previous year, Affleck returned but Justice League’s journey to the big screen proved to be quite tumultuous.
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The hotly anticipated film was meant to be directed solely by Zack Snyder, who filmed most of it before having to leave the project due to a family tragedy. The directing duties were then picked up by The Avengers director and Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon.
Despite Whedon’s impressive credentials, the movie failed to come together as planned - it was a critical failure and fans reacted coldly to it.
Affleck claims he experienced difficulty behind the scenes during the film’s production, revealing that he turned to drinking alcohol ‘too much’ and realised he had to make a change.
“That was the worst experience I’ve ever seen in a business which is full of some sh***y experiences. It broke my heart,” he explained to The Hollywood Reporter.
“There was an idea of someone [Joss Whedon] coming in, like, ‘I’ll rescue you and we’ll do 60 days of shooting and I’ll write a whole thing around what you have. I’ve got the secret.’ And it wasn’t the secret."
Affleck continued: “That was hard. And I started to drink too much. I was back at the hotel in London, it was either that or jump out the window. And I just thought, ‘This isn’t the life I want. My kids aren’t here. I’m miserable'.
UNILAD has contacted Warner Bros. for comment.
The Oscar-winning screenwriter and actor was originally meant to direct and star in a solo Batman film but he lost interest in the superhero genre, explaining that the Justice League experience left him feeling that it was ‘creatively not satisfying’.
Justice League did find some success following the release of the Snyder cut on HBO Max in March 2021, after fans campaigned for the director’s original version to see the light of day.
The father-of-three has gone to rehab for alcohol addiction a number of times over the years, People reports, including in 2001, 2017 and 2018, the year when he and ex-wife Jennifer Garner finalised their divorce.
If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support