Ben Affleck Calls What Happened Around Zack Snyder’s Justice League Exit ‘As Gross As It Gets’ — And His Blistering Remarks Expose A Darker Side Of The Superhero Franchise’s Troubled History. The making of Justice League has long been surrounded by controversy, particularly following Snyder’s departure and the major changes that reshaped the film before its theatrical release. Now, Affleck’s striking words are bringing renewed attention to that turbulent period, offering a glimpse into how deeply the experience affected those involved. For fans who remember the fierce debate over the original film and Snyder’s eventual director’s cut, his comments add another layer to an already complicated Hollywood story.

Affleck played Batman in the DC Extended Universe, first appearing opposite Henry Cavill in Snyder’s 2016 film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. He returned for Justice League, but the film’s troubled production became one of the most infamous behind-the-scenes stories in superhero movie history.

Snyder stepped away from Justice League in May 2017 following the death of his daughter Autumn, who had died by suicide just two months prior. Joss Whedon subsequently oversaw reshoots and post-production, with the finished film arriving in cinemas in November 2017.

But the finished product was widely criticised, with fans arguing that it bore little resemblance to Snyder’s original vision. After years of campaigning for the so-called Snyder Cut, Warner Bros. eventually released Snyder’s Justice League on HBO Max in March 2021.

Now, Affleck has appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, where he’s reflected on just how awful the experience was.

Ben Affleck calls handling of Zack Snyder’s Justice League exit ‘gross’

While discussing why he ultimately abandoned plans to direct his own standalone Batman film, Affleck went on to say, “The truth is that the experience of Justice League for me was so, so negative for lots of different reasons.

“Some of which having to do just with where I was personally, some of which having to do with some of the tragedy that happened during that time. And also the fact that I really saw how not to make a movie like that, which is when the studio is at odds with the filmmaker, you’re really making a mistake.”

The actor said that he was “really glad and gratified” that Snyder was able to release his version of the film. “I was really happy for him,” he said.

But, Affleck added, “Boy, that was sh*tty – him being taken off that movie and the re-shoots that we did. If you want the low point of my career, it was that.”

Snyder has previously said that he made the decision to step away himself, although he has also spoken about tensions with the studio over the film and his overall vision for the DCEU.

Host Josh Horowitz then pointed out that it was a “perfect storm of horrible things happening” at that time, before asking if he had a “​​moment of epiphany” on the Justice League set, whether that be personal or professional.

Affleck replied, “Somebody’s death by suicide is… that eclipses everything. And then the way in which that was, I thought, frankly, used as an excuse, I just thought was one of the sh*ttiest things I’d ever seen.

“It was so gross, and then the whole environment and vibe – much of which I wasn’t privy to, but that I sort of heard about secondhand in terms of Ray [Fisher] and Gal [Gadot] and other people’s experiences – it was just like, ‘Wow, this is about as gross as it gets.’”