Affleck turned down superman

Ben Affleck turned down the chance to direct the new Superman film because he didn't feel confident enough to take charge of an "epic effects movie".

Christopher Nolan, the brains behind the rebooted Batman franchise, is bringing the Man of Steel back to the big screen in a new installment following Bryan Singer's 2006 offering Superman Returns.

Nolan, who will act as a producer on the film, recently hired Watchmen moviemaker Zack Snyder to direct it, and Affleck has now revealed he was "tempted" by the job, but decided to leave the superhero movie to a director better acquainted with big budget blockbusters.

He tells Deadline Hollywood, "The one benefit of having done all kinds of movies as an actor is, you learn the pros and cons of being tempted to do a really big movie because it costs a lot of money. With Superman, I think they're going to do a great version. Chris Nolan is brilliant and they've got a great director for it.

"I've love to do something like Blade Runner, but a lesson I've learned is to not look at movies based on budget, how much they'll spend on effects, or where they will shoot. Story is what's important. Also, there are a lot of guys ahead of me on the list to do epic effects movies."

Affleck previously donned the superhero's cape to play Superman actor George Reeves in 2006 film Hollywoodland.