



Ben Affleck, who is already starring in the Zack Snyder-directed Justice League films as Batman, will now act as an executive producer on Warners’ currently in-production DC blockbuster, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

The move legitimizes Affleck as a creative voice in the moviemaking process.

The actor turned filmmaker will work with Chris Terrio, his screenwriter from Argo and Batman v. Superman, to fine-tune the script, and he will also inform the postproduction process, according to sources.

The move comes as BvS has come to the end of its box-office run, grossing $864 million worldwide. While that number seems solid on paper, the studio was expecting more. The fan reaction and reviews also seemed a rejection of the dark tone created by the movie’s filmmaking team.

That stands in stark contrast to what some observers are calling the “demand of the marketplace,” pointing to Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Civil War, which has generated excellent reviews (it has 91 percent Fresh Rating on Rotten Tomatoes) and could crack the top five box-office openings of all time.

It also comes in the shadow of the massive success of Deadpool, Fox’s Marvel-based movie that was a raunchy laugh-fest. Audiences appear to prefer a more fun approach to their heroes, and Warners seems to be responding.