10 Movie Franchises That (Almost) Destroyed Their Star

3. The DC Extended Universe - Ben Affleck

Poor, poor Ben Affleck. After the initial bemusement was out of the way, most fans were intrigued to see what the actor would bring to playing Bruce Wayne and Batman in the DC Extended Universe, only for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice to prove colossally disappointing.

Affleck's performance was nevertheless singled out by most critics as the film's strongest asset, even if for many the most memorable aspect of the movie was the "Sad Affleck" meme it spawned.

Affleck, whose alcoholism was well-noted before he joined the DCEU, entered rehab after principal photography was completed on Justice League, but before the film's extensive reshoots were carried out. The unfortunate by-product of this was Affleck's appearance differing noticeably in scenes shot before and after his relapse.

Justice League went on to receive wildly mixed reviews and bomb at the box office, but Affleck was still set to press ahead with his planned solo Batman movie, which Warner Bros. even offered him to both write and direct.

Ultimately feeling the pressure of directing a major blockbuster film while struggling with sobriety, Affleck smartly gave the filmmaking reins up to Matt Reeves, though eventually ended up walking away from the character altogether.

Affleck later admitted that a friend warned him he'd likely drink himself to death if he helmed The Batman, and he sensibly decided to put his health first.

Reeves later re-imagined his Batman movie as its own standalone project away from the DCEU, with Robert Pattinson ultimately cast as a young version of the Caped Crusader.