Matt Damon passed on the chance to play one of his favorite superheroes, but his best friend Ben Affleck ultimately ended up getting the part because he had doubts.

"For us it was always 'Daredevil' — that's the comic we read when we were kids," Damon tells NY Daily News. "But when that one came along (in 2003) I chickened out, because I couldn't tell. I hadn't seen the director (Mark Steven Johnson's) work and I didn't know. So I just said, 'No.' Ben was like, 'I gotta do it.' And the movie ended up doing very well, even though I don't think Ben was ultimately very proud of it."

Now Affleck will return to another superhero role - as Batman in the forthcoming franchise reboot.

Damon thinks his buddy Affleck has the right approach in taking on another comic character nearly 12 years later. "I think he approached it the right way, which is, 'Can I make a great superhero movie?' rather than, 'Do I want to play a superhero?' I'd consider it if the right thing came along," Damon says.