Making The Flash Was An 'Emotional' Experience For Ben Affleck, Says Director

Just shy of a decade ago, the DC-loving section of the internet lost its collective mind when it was revealed that Ben Affleck was going to be our new Batman, taking over the role just a year after Christian Bale wrapped up his run in "The Dark Knight Rises." Affleck's time as the superhero has been more than a bit rocky, kicking off with "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" in 2016, but we don't need to go over that whole situation again. What's important is that Affleck is getting ready to hang it up for good following his appearance as Bruce Wayne in this summer's "The Flash." While DC fans of all sorts have feelings about that, it was an emotional experience for the actor.

/Film's very own Jenna Busch recently attended a screening of "The Flash" with director Andy Muschietti and producer Barbara Muschietti in attendance. During a post-screening Q&A, the filmmakers addressed the situation with Affleck, describing it as an "emotional" situation for both him and Michael Keaton, who also returns as Batman in the film. Barbara Muschietti explained that the actor wanted to really nail it down this time around.

"We had the best time. His role is shorter in the movie, obviously, but it was very surprising to us how much love for the character he came in [with], and how he wanted to get it perfect. Perfect for that tone that he wanted and that the movie needed."

Andy Muschietti added, "He liked the script first and he said, 'I can do that.' He liked the tone, basically. Quite a bit of the tone was reflected in the pages from the beginning, humor, and stuff. He was really open to play a version of this Batman that had a little more levity. He came and he did it, and he crushed it."

It almost feels appropriate for Affleck to go out as Batman in this movie in particular. While we won't go over it beat-by-beat here, "The Flash" has had an incredibly long, troubled road to release, culminating with star Ezra Miller's off-screen troubles that nearly dismantled the film. Yet, as we've heard, the movie is amazing, with DC Studios co-head James Gunn calling it one of the best superhero movies ever made. That means, if audiences respond in kind, Affleck gets to ride off into the sunset on a high note, in part, by helping to save what could have been a dumpster fire.

Zack Snyder's "Batman v Superman" turned out to be one of the most divisive movies of the modern era, setting the DC Universe on a path of confusion and messiness for years to come. The theatrical cut of "Justice League" was a huge debacle that led Affleck to bail on starring in and directing "The Batman" altogether, paving the way for Robert Pattinson to take over the role outside of the main DCU. Affleck never got a solo movie and, despite a lot of people loving his take on the Caped Crusader, he never got a truly great film under his belt — though Zack Snyder's "Justice League" eventually helped to amend that in some way. Still, it will be nice if he gets to end this odd run on good terms.

The cast also includes newcomer Sasha Calle as Supergirl, Michael Shannon ("Bullet Train"), Ron Livingston ("The Conjuring"), Maribel Verdu ("Elite"), Kiersey Clemons ("Sweetheart"), and Antje Traue ("Man of Steel").

"The Flash" is set to hit theaters on June 16, 2023.