Star Wars: Did Ben Affleck Almost Direct The Force Awakens?

Just imagine the possibilities...

Ben Affleck Star Wars
LucasFilm

Ben Affleck's appearance on Bill Simmons' new show Any Given Wednesday generated some headlines for the actor for the wrong reasons recently after he appeared intoxicated and ranted at the NFL over deflategate. He's a fan, it happens.

More interestingly, the Batman star and director was asked about the possibility that he was initially lined up to direct Star Wars: The Force Awakens before JJ Abrams got the job. Now, Affleck remained somewhat evasive, but his decision to avoid a categorical denial is being accepted widely as an indication that he was:

"Well I wouldn’t be able to say. It wouldn’t be polite to talk about the jobs you turned down. But I did have a lot of offers."

Advertisement

Sounds an awful lot like it was his for the taking, doesn't it?

Presumably, had he taken the job, both the DCEU and the Star Wars universe would look wildly different. He wouldn't have been able to take on Bruce Wayne (possibly leaving it open for fellow front-runner Josh Brolin), and we wouldn't be getting his belated stand-alone movie (the reward for enduring Batman v Superman).

Advertisement

And how different would The Force Awakens have looked? It's an intriguing thought, to say the least.

Here's Affleck ranting about inflated balls...

Advertisement

Contributor
Contributor

WhatCulture's former COO, veteran writer and editor.