In an alternate universe, Disney’s Star Wars sequel trilogy might have looked quite a bit different, with Ben Affleck recently sharing that he was approached to direct The Force Awakens back in the mid 2010s.
Appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the critically acclaimed filmmaker confirmed that he was originally offered the chance to direct the opening chapter in the Star Wars sequels by Disney.
“Yeah, they came to me and asked me, ‘Hey, are you interested in this?'” Affleck said. “And I don’t know that meant they weren’t also talking to J.J. or other people, but I talked to those folks at the time.”
As Affleck said, Disney eventually selected J.J. Abrams to direct the movie, with Affleck expressing his uncertainty about working on a movie that he didn’t feel he could do proper justice towards.
“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,” the actor said. “I just think someone else who has more passion for this is going to do a better job.”
“In fact, that you’ve seen played out,” Affleck continued, referencing the polarized response to Disney’s sequel trilogy. “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.”
As Affleck remembered it, The Force Awakens served as just one of the many mainstream projects he turned down over the years, citing his own creative vision as being inadequate to the script he was reading.
“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,” the Good Will Hunting star said.