To Ben Affleck, Justice League was a series of disastrous decisions patched up as a film until it was tapered down to a bad memory. But while the 2017 movie reminds him of a tragic time, Zack Snyder’s Justice League holds a special place in his heart to this very date. In fact, the actor and filmmaker hails it to be his greatest movie despite having sundry other successful projects. He even seemed to turn a blind eye toward David Fincher’s Gone Girl which in reality holds a higher rating than the 2021 film does.
Ben Affleck
On the other hand, while the $370 million film might’ve garnered Affleck tons of fame and recognition, the actor didn’t have the sweetest of relations with the film’s director on set. Maybe his clash with Fincher was what prevented him from admitting that Gone Girl was indeed a greater accomplishment for him than The Snyder Cut was. Or maybe Affleck just really has a soft spot for the DCEU film.
Ben Affleck Claims Zack Snyder’s Justice League Was His Best Work
Ben Affleck has starred in a number of commercially successful films, including but not limited to, 1997’s Good Will Hunting for which he even bagged an Oscar, DC’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, 2012’s Academy-Award nominated thriller, Argo, which he also directed. While Gone Girl is by no means the highlight of his career, the Rosamund Pike starrer was certainly a global box office hit. And yet, Affleck seems to have turned a blind eye toward the 2014 psychological thriller as he flaunted Zack Snyder’s Justice League to be his “highest-rated career movie” instead.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Affleck, 50, recalled how Zack Snyder’s Justice League was his only ever film that ended up going “from nadir to pinnacle” as he prided over it being his “highest-rated movie on IMDb.”
Ben Affleck as Batman
“It is my highest-rated career movie. I’ve never had one that went from nadir to pinnacle. Retroactively, it’s a hit. All of a sudden I was getting congratulated for the bomb I’m in.”
But while the film scored a solid 8/10 rating on IMDb, Gone Girl earned an 8.1 on it. While that could be a simple miscalculation on Affleck’s part or even a case of innocuous ignorance, it could also very well be related to the fact that the award-winning actor had somewhat of a falling out with the movie’s director.
What the Ben Affleck and David Fincher Feud Was All About
David Fincher’s Gone Girl was not only a financial success but it also welcomed immense critical acclamation, ultimately becoming one of his highest-grossing projects. But the filmmaker’s relationship with Affleck had gone quite sour on the movie’s set.
Fincher even called The Sum of All Fears star “unprofessional” when one day on set the two got entangled in a messy argument involving something as paltry as a baseball cap. The conflict occurred during an airport scene when Affleck’s character, Nick, was required to wear a baseball cap in an attempt to disguise himself in plain sight. While the Fight Club director wanted him to put on a New York Yankees cap, the Paycheck star outright refused to.
Related: ‘He doesn’t want to be part of the clown show’: DC Fans Applaud Ben Affleck for Taking a Stand, Leaving Batman Movie Project After DCU Scrapped SnyderVerse
Ben Affleck with Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl (2014)
While the squabble seemed to have stemmed from justified reasons, the situation had still slipped out of hand when production was brought to an abrupt halt for four days. It was only after Fincher’s crew “negotiated” with Affleck’s team that both parties were able to come to a consensus.
All that for a baseball cap. But it certainly seems to be a big deal for Affleck if he passed on the credit to The Snyder Cut for being his greatest film despite Gone Girl having a higher rating.
Gone Girl can be streamed on HBO Max.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter