Ben Affleck Thinks Robert Pattinson is Going to Be a Great Batman

Former Batman Ben Affleck is sharing his support for his successor in the role, Robert Pattinson, who will play the Caped Crusader in next year's The Batman. Starting with 2016's Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Affleck was the fifth actor to play Batman in a live-action film, and he appeared in three movies total (which includes a small cameo in Suicide Squad). Affleck was reportedly going to direct, write, and star in The Batman, but reports later emerged suggesting someone new would take over the role. Affleck later departed the project, and Matt Reeves signed on to write and direct with Pattinson filling the role of Bruce Wayne.

Production on The Batman has been underway for a little while now, and recently Reeves unveiled the first official look of Pattinson in costume. Excitement for the 2021 film has only been building as production has continued, especially due to its large cast. Aside from Pattinson, The Batman will star Zoë Kravitz, Colin Farrell, Jeffrey Wright, Paul Dano, Andy Serkis, Peter Sarsgaard, and John Turturro.

While promoting his new film The Way Back in an interview with Jake Hamilton, Affleck was briefly asked about his time as Batman as well as the initial script he wrote for The Batman. Affleck was quick to share some words of support for Pattinson, saying, "I think Robert's a great actor, he's going to do great." Affleck also opened up a bit more about why he chose to leave, explaining that he had "kind of lost my passion for it." He added, "The movie deserves to be made by someone whose dying to do it and can't wait, and that wasn't me at the time, so I moved on."

Recently, Affleck elaborated on his departure from The Batman in a more candid manner than he had previously. Whereas before, it seemed like creative differences led to his exit, Affleck admitted that it was a more personal reason. Affleck explained, "I showed somebody ‘The Batman’ script. They said, ‘I think the script is good. I also think you’ll drink yourself to death if you go through what you just went though again." It seems that the process behind making and promoting 2017's Justice League effectively diminished his interest in playing Batman, which isn't too surprising considering that film's troubled production history. Affleck's struggles with alcoholism reportedly added to his stress.

Affleck's recent comments, including the ones in support of Pattinson, suggest he's made some peace with his rocky tenure as Batman. Of course, it's impossible to say for sure without being inside of his head, but it's a bit of a relief to know that he has moved onto projects he feels more passionate about. Affleck's Batman, while perhaps not as beloved as say Michael Keaton's or Christian Bale's, was a solid take on the well-known character, and it would have been interesting to see what his version of The Batman would have been. Instead though, fans will get the chance to see a new actor take on the role, and only time will tell if they enjoy it or not.