Ben Affleck Hints He Almost Directed Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Whilst Ben Affleck has returned to the acting limelight as Batman, until comparatively recently he looked set to side-step into directing full-time - and it seems he may have come close to directing the biggest movie of the past six years.

Whilst he avoids saying anything too definitive, Affleck has strongly implied that he may have been offered the job of directing ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens.’

The actor and filmmaker was directly asked about this in an interview on HBO show Any Given Wednesday (via Comic Book Movie), and while he did not admit being considered for ‘Star Wars,’ Affleck didn’t deny it either:

“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.”

Conceding that this was good problem to have, Affleck continued, “it’s also like forks in the road; legitimate different paths.

“You think, ‘boy, my life’s gonna be really different if I go down this way, or if I do Batman, if I do this other iconic thing.’.. or I could’ve just made movies were kids fart on me.”

Obviously we know which path he chose; but given he doesn’t outright declare that he was never in the frame for ‘Star Wars,’ these remarks would certainly imply that Affleck was indeed among the illustrious few directors considered by Lucasfilm.

Other directors known to have been in contention for ‘The Force Awakens’ before JJ Abrams got the job include Brad Bird and Matthew Vaughn.

However, it’s possible that the ‘iconic thing’ Affleck mentions could be something else entirely.

For one thing, prior to signing on to star in ‘Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice,’ he had been attached to direct the long in-development movie adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘The Stand,’ which is still languishing in development hell with writer-director Josh Boone attached.

Either way though, it won’t be too long before Affleck gets to scratch his blockbuster directorial itch, as he will be at the helm of the Dark Knight’s next solo movie,‘The Batman,’ expected 2018. In the meantime, he’s currently at work on his next directorial effort, ‘Live By Night.’

Before either of those hit screens, we’ll see Affleck back in the cowl in ‘Suicide Squad,’ opening 5 August.

Picture Credit: WENN, Lucasfilm, Warner Bros

Read More:
Affleck Talks Justice League
2016: Worst Blockbuster Season In Years?
Rogue One Character Bios Unveiled