Why Ben Affleck Turned Down Directing Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Warner Bros.

Did you know Ben Affleck almost directed a "Star Wars" movie?

When George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, fans of the saga predictably freaked out. The long-promised sequel trilogy was finally going to happen, and, after the mixed reception to Lucas' prequel trilogy (which, in terms of depicting the rise of fascism, has aged awfully well over the years), the majority of the fan base was relieved that the galaxy far, far away was going to be in different creative hands — though there was no guarantee it would be the right creative hands.

Before a director was attached, Lucasfilm announced that "Toy Story 3" writer Michael Arndt would pen the screenplay. Having felt that "Toy Story 3" was a significant step down in quality from the first two movies and outright loathing Arndt's script for "Little Miss Sunshine," I was concerned. But I was heartened when I heard that Guillermo del Toro, David Fincher, and Brad Bird were in the running. Bird would've made the film had he not been tied down to "Tomorrowland," but I was fine with most of the other names making the rumor rounds.

One of the most intriguing candidates was Ben Affleck. The star had rattled off three confidently directed movies with "Gone Baby Gone," "The Town," and "Argo" (the third earning him an Oscar for Best Picture). Going from a film that hinges on the CIA faking the production of a "Star Wars"-type fantasy movie to end the Iran hostage crisis to an honest-to-god "Star Wars" movie would've been amusing on the surface. Factor in that he was on fire as a director, and I could talk myself into him being the perfect choice. He obviously passed, and, 11 years later, his rationale makes a load of sense.

Lucasfillm

During an appearance on Josh Horowitz's "Happy, Sad, Confused" podcast, Affleck recalled Lucasfilm approaching him about directing what would become "Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens." As he told Horowitz, "They came to me and asked me, 'Are you interested in this?'" At the time, Affleck didn't know if they were also talking to eventual director J.J. Abrams or others, but he did know that he wasn't their guy. Per Affleck:

"...[I] talked to those folks at the time, and that was one where I was just like, again, 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. And that's not like some great self-sacrificing thing, because I thought — I didn't know that I could make a great version of Star Wars or reinvent this."

In retrospect, he acknowledged that Lucasfilm has struggled with its franchise reinvention, and that this is due to the series' powerful grip on moviegoers dating back to 1977. Affleck decided that he didn't want the fandom's often toxic smoke. "Some have done really well," he said, "And you've got this whole fan base that's got its own very strong opinions, and it's just one that, like plenty of scripts that I've gotten as a director — I've certainly gotten better scripts as a director than as an actor that I've turned down."

Judging from the critical reaction to his latest movie, "Animals," it doesn't sound like that film had one of those good scripts he alluded to, but I really wish the "Star Wars" movies could've proceeded without Abrams' mystery box shenanigans. Maybe Shawn Levy's "Star Wars: Starfighter" will right the ship.