Career Crossroads! Ben Affleck To Quit 'Batman' Franchise: 'He's Over It'
Ben Affleck is at a career crossroads, RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned, and he's ready to say goodbye to Gotham City – for good!
Sources reveal the the 45-year-old star wants to get back to his indie roots.
"Ben wants to focus more on his career right now," a source told RadarOnline.com. "His team wants him to pursue more big budget films and capitalize on the superhero brand. But Ben is over it."
The Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice star is turning to a close friend and actor for inspiration.
"He wants to channel Joaquin Phoenix and do more independent films," said the source. "He's ready for new projects and feels like he's maxed out the big budget film direction and will get better acting roles and more kudos with indie flicks."
The amount of pressure that came with playing the masked vigilante in DC's Dawn of Justice wasn't lost on Affleck when the film hit screens in 2016.
"I think there is a ton of pressure on it," he said at the time. "We are a very kind of instant gratification culture when it comes to analyzing the film business… If it doesn't do well, that will be extremely disappointing."
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And it was a flop. The flick pulled in a whopping $874 million worldwide, but was deemed the "most incoherent blockbuster in years." In fact, Affleck agreed with the "fair" criticism.
The Justice League star struggled to stay sober after the release when RadarOnline.com caught him buying booze with girlfriend Lindsay Shookus in July 2017 — mere months after completing a stint in rehab.
Adding to the stress, he and ex Jennifer Garner, whom he shares three children, Violet, 11, Seraphina, 8, and Samuel, 5—filed for divorce in 2016 after a decade of marriage. The power couple's split came amid continued reports of Affleck's out-of-control gambling and boozing.
The superstar misses the early days, said the source, when he became a household name over 20 years ago with the small indie movie, Good Will Hunting, alongside BFF Matt Damon that won them both Academy Awards.
"Doing more independent movies would bring back his true love of acting and allow him more time with the kids," said the source. "Being a dad is No. 1 priority."
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