I don't think it has anything to do with Live By Night's failure from the studio's perspective (as in they likely didn't pressure him to step down), but I'm betting Affleck knows he can't have two directorial stinkers in a row, so he's at least eliminating the option for that to happen here, especially if he truly can't prep for the role and the directing gig at the same time due to the work load. And that could very well be the case. To prep a film as a director is a beyond full time gig, and combine that with the fact that he was also writing - those two things alone would take every second of every day for months. But then throw in the fact that he also needs to stay in insane shape, rehearse, etc., and I can definitely see that being WAY too much to handle.
That said, he straight up admitted recently that if the script's not up to par, he's not directing, and, well... he's now not directing. So this also kind of reek's of WB still not having any idea what they're doing, which is probably a bit of a factor as well. So I honestly think it's a combination of everything above.
Truthfully, I think we're going to get a mildly entertaining/competent Wonder Woman movie, a halfway decent Justice League movie (that could just as easily be another massive disappointment), a super weird/dumb Aquaman movie, and then a nothing-to-write-home-about The Batman (via ultimately not landing a Matt Reeves type but someone more average), and that will be it. I think Affleck's going to be so burned out by then - you can already tell that he's so sick and tired of this whole comic-book movie commitment (you could really see it in all these Live By Night interviews, where half the questions were about Batman) - and I just don't see The Flash or Man of Steel 2 ever taking flight. Snyder has probably directed his last DC movie as well. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but right now, I just don't see this franchise lasting past 2018/2019.
That said, he straight up admitted recently that if the script's not up to par, he's not directing, and, well... he's now not directing. So this also kind of reek's of WB still not having any idea what they're doing, which is probably a bit of a factor as well. So I honestly think it's a combination of everything above.
Truthfully, I think we're going to get a mildly entertaining/competent Wonder Woman movie, a halfway decent Justice League movie (that could just as easily be another massive disappointment), a super weird/dumb Aquaman movie, and then a nothing-to-write-home-about The Batman (via ultimately not landing a Matt Reeves type but someone more average), and that will be it. I think Affleck's going to be so burned out by then - you can already tell that he's so sick and tired of this whole comic-book movie commitment (you could really see it in all these Live By Night interviews, where half the questions were about Batman) - and I just don't see The Flash or Man of Steel 2 ever taking flight. Snyder has probably directed his last DC movie as well. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but right now, I just don't see this franchise lasting past 2018/2019.
