Ben Affleck Calls Justice League Reshoots the Lowest Point of His Career – A Candid Look Back

When Ben Affleck sat down for the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, he didn’t just talk about his upcoming projects or the usual Hollywood gossip. He got downright personal, describing the whole Justice League mess as "the lowest point" of his career. And he didn’t mince words.

Affleck started by admitting that his original Batman solo movie – the one that would have had Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke – felt like an exciting experiment. But the experience of working on Justice League, he said, turned that excitement upside‑down.

"The truth is, the experience of Justice League was so, so negative for lots of different reasons," he told host Happy Sad Confused. "Some of it had to do with where I was personally, some of it with the tragedy that happened during the time, and also the fact that I really saw how not to make a movie when the studio is at odds with the filmmaker. That was what really doomed it."

For context, Warner Bros. had been breathing down director Zack Snyder’s neck after Batman v Superman stumbled at the box office and with critics. The studio wanted a lighter, more crowd‑pleasing tone for the much‑anticipated team‑up. Snyder, still reeling from the heartbreaking loss of his daughter, left the project during post‑production. Enter Joss Whedon, fresh off his Avengers work, tasked with reshoots that would dramatically shift the film’s mood.

Affleck didn’t shy away from the controversy surrounding those reshoots. He noted rumors of a harsh set atmosphere, saying he’d heard second‑hand accounts from colleagues like Ray Fisher and Gal Gadot that painted a “gross” picture.

"The way it was used as an excuse was one of the sh*tiest things I’ve ever seen," Affleck said, clearly frustrated. "It was so gross. And then the whole environment and vibe… it was just like, wow, this is about as gross as it gets."

On top of the studio drama, Affleck was dealing with a messy divorce and a personal battle with alcoholism. Those personal storms, combined with the chaotic set, made the whole thing feel like a perfect storm of negativity.

Eventually, the Batman mantle passed to Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson, while Affleck stepped away from both the role and the director’s chair for a solo Batman film. He did pop back for a cameo in The Flash and appeared in the newly released Zack Snyder’s Justice League cut, but the scars from that original production linger.

Even Snyder himself recently hinted that a former WB exec expressed regret over how things unfolded, feeding the ever‑lasting hope among hardcore fans that one day a true Snyder‑style Justice League might finally see the light. Given how tangled and painful the original experience was for everyone involved, though, that hope feels like a long shot.

All in all, Affleck’s candid confession adds another layer to the ongoing conversation about creative control, studio pressure, and the human cost of blockbuster filmmaking.