Kudos to Ben Affleck for adamantly refusing to make a DC movie. For months there had been rumors that James Gunn was trying to hire him to direct one of the movies in his newly created DC Universe.
This is what Affleck told THR:
“I would not direct something for the Gunn DC. Absolutely not. I have nothing against James Gunn. Nice guy, sure he’s going to do a great job. I just wouldn’t want to direct in the way they’re doing that. I’m not interested in that.”
In the process he’s keeping his artistic integrity. I’m not saying Affleck is an indisputably great filmmaker, but he does have talent behind the camera and keeps wanting to make mid-budget movies, which seem to be a dying breed these days.
His newly directed film is titled “Air” and will have a big splashy world premiere at the South By Southwest Film Festival this Saturday night.
“Air” tells the story of the rise of Nike thanks to its partnership with rookie Michael Jordan. The film stars Affleck, as well as Matt Damon, Jason Bateman, Viola Davis, Chris Tucker, Marlon Wayans, and Chris Messina. The film is written by Alex Convery.
Affleck hasn’t directed a film since 2016’s “Live by Night,” which was one hot mess of a gangster movie. Before that misfire, Affleck had helmed a handful of critically-acclaimed films: “Argo,” “The Town,” and “Gone Baby Gone.”