Ben Affleck calls Justice League reshoots low point of career

Ben Affleck called the process of shooting and reshooting Justice League the lowest point of his career during an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with host Josh Horowitz on October 12, 2026. According to The Wrap, Deadline, and Variety, the actor spoke about the negative experience surrounding the production and criticized how Warner Bros. managed the project. [1][2][3]

Variety and SlashFilm reported that Affleck criticized the studio for replacing original director Zack Snyder with Joss Whedon. According to The Wrap and SlashFilm, Affleck stated that the death of Snyder's daughter was used as an excuse to remove Snyder from the film. ScreenRant reported that Whedon was brought in to overhaul the movie and conduct reshoots after Snyder stepped away to be with his family. [1][3][4][5]

The theatrical cut of Justice League was released in late 2017 with Snyder credited as director, even though most of the released footage was directed by Whedon during reshoots, ScreenRant reported. Affleck played Batman in the DC Extended Universe feature, while Snyder later released his original director's cut in 2021. [1][4][12]

During the same podcast appearance, Affleck revealed that he previously declined an offer to direct Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a project that was later directed by J.J. Abrams, AV Club reported. Affleck has won two Academy Awards during his career as an actor and filmmaker. [6][11]