Reports that Ben Affleck ran to direct Star Wars: The Force Awakens were true. However, the actor-director turned down the offer to become a part of the mega-billionaire space opera franchise because he felt someone else could do that job better than him.
On Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, the Good Will Hunting star revealed about being approached to helm The Force Awakens: “Yeah, they came to me and asked me, Hey, are you interested in this? And I don’t know that meant they weren’t also talking to JJ or other people, but I talked to those folks at the time.”
He then explained the creative thought process behind his decision: “That was one where I just like, hey, I like Star Wars, and I’m a fan, but I’m not the person to direct this movie. I just think someone else who has more passion for this is going to do a better job.”
Why did Ben Affleck believe someone else could better reinvent Star Wars?
Affleck didn’t agree to direct a Star Wars film because he just wasn’t confident enough that he could make a great movie in the fan-favorite franchise, or help reinvent it.
The Air star continued, “In fact, that you’ve seen played out. It hasn’t been easy for them to reinvent that franchise. Some have done really well, and you’ve got this whole fan base that’s got its own very strong opinions.”
Affleck admitted that The Force Awakens script was one of the many scripts he turned down as a director. “But I just thought, I don’t think I can do it as well as somebody else, and I don’t want to direct something that I don’t feel like I have a chance to be really proud of,” he continued. Ultimately, J.J. Abrams was tapped to direct Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
You can stream Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) on Disney+.
Originally reported on SuperHeroHype.
