Ben Affleck’s Latest Rehab Stint May Cost Him Batman Role

Ben Affleck’s latest trip to rehab could cost him his upcoming role of Batman thanks to steep insurance costs. The Wrap reports that multiple industry insiders say deductible prices could be too steep for Warner Bros. to keep up with for a potential Batman gig.

“More than likely the studio will replace him because the insurance costs are going to go through the roof,” a representative for a completion bond company told the publication.

An attorney who specializes in insurance and bond products said that Affleck “would be bondable, but the deductible would be really high, probably the budget of the film.”

The bond company source said insurers might actually only want half of the film’s budget as a deductible, but considering that the production budget on Affleck’s 2017 Batman appearance in Justice League was around $300 million, insurance costs could still pile up pretty quickly.

In fact, a Justice League sequel starring Affleck could drive the budget up to $450 million — even half of which would be a high insurance deductible.

Some industry insiders suggest that Affleck pursue lower budget independent films for a while, similar to what Robert Downey Jr. did in the 1990s and early 2000s thanks to his substance abuse and legal issues. For example, in his 2003 film, Gothika, producer Joel Silva kept 40 percent of Downey’s salary as insurance. And in 1998’s The Gingerbread Man, producer Mark Burg opted for no insurance at all, considering the premium for Downey would have cost $1 million out of the mere $30 million budget.

But it could be a while before insurers find Affleck credible again for a reasonable rate, considering that last week’s trip to rehab was his second in as many years (third time in 20 years).

“Anytime you have an event that is going to change the risk, you would expect to have an increase in the premium,” the attorney told The Wrap. “The greater the risk the greater the premium.”

Aside from “a track record of completing projects without incident,” some other serious conditions would accompany Affleck’s return to a major film set (including a medical exam and daily drug test, says the attorney source).

“Financiers and producers are going to want to see some evidence that his recent round of therapy was effective and that there are going be some steps taken that he will be sober on his next project,” an expert in content financing said.

Last week, Affleck reportedly checked into The Canyon at Peace Park, a high-end rehabilitation facility in Malibu used by many celebrities. He reportedly checked in because he has been struggling with alcoholism. His estranged wife Jennifer Garner, with whom a divorce settlement is pending per his rehab completion, reportedly staged an intervention convincing him to seek help.