On February 24, 2013, Ben Affleck was on top of the world.
After losing out on a Best Director nomination for Argo, his portrait of a daring rescue operation that saved six Americans during the Iran Hostage Crisis, the film won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. This was the culmination of Affleck's big comeback, which started with Gone Baby Gone, his 2007 directorial debut. Affleck was a tabloid laughingstock for years, but he had finally achieved respect as an award-winning filmmaker. He kept things up for a little while, starring in David Fincher's Gone Girl and earning rave reviews as a mysterious husband. But Affleck made the crucial mistake of joining the DC Universe, starring as Batman in 2016's Dawn of Justice and last year's Justice League. Beyond the poor reviews received by those two films, Affleck's directorial career also suffered. Gangster adaptation Live by Night was a bomb, serving as a huge blow to his pedigree. All of this leads to one major question- can Affleck mount another comeback?
Hours ago, Deadline exclusively revealed that Affleck has lined up his next project behind the camera at Fox. The multi-hyphenate will direct an adaptation of Jeff Maysh's How An Ex-Cop Rigged McDonald's Monopoly Game And Stole Millions, a smash hit article published days ago on The Daily Beast. Matt Damon will star in the film, which is being written by Deadpool duo Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.
Per Deadline, the rights to the article became entangled in a fierce bidding war between multiple studios, including Universal, Warner Bros., and of course, Netflix. Fox won out in the end, paying an undisclosed amount for the rights. David Klawans will serve as an executive producer, while Pearl Street's Madison Ainsley and Fox's Matt Reilly will lead the project.
At the moment, Affleck is filming Dee Rees' The Last Thing He Wanted, a crime drama that will serve as her follow-up to Mudbound. Netflix will distribute. In addition, Affleck recently wrapped production on another Netflix title, J.C. Chandor's Triple Frontier. As for Damon, the superstar is filming James Mangold's Ford v. Ferrari, where he'll play Carroll Shelby. That film is set for release on June 28, 2019.
Of course, Affleck's future in the DC Universe is the big question at the moment. While it has long been presumed that Affleck is done with the character, that still has yet to be confirmed. As far as we know, he could still be playing Bruce Wayne in The Batman, the upcoming solo project set to be directed by War for the Planet of the Apes filmmaker Matt Reeves. It seems unlikely, but Warner Bros. theoretically should have confirmed his exit by now.
My sincere hope is that he's done with the series. He was never a bad Batman, but his decision to join the young franchise did major damage to his promising directorial career. Though I've still yet to read the Daily Beast article, I'm thrilled to see Affleck stepping behind the camera again for what sounds like an incredible true story. Look for more on this project as it develops.
Images: Warner Bros.
After losing out on a Best Director nomination for Argo, his portrait of a daring rescue operation that saved six Americans during the Iran Hostage Crisis, the film won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. This was the culmination of Affleck's big comeback, which started with Gone Baby Gone, his 2007 directorial debut. Affleck was a tabloid laughingstock for years, but he had finally achieved respect as an award-winning filmmaker. He kept things up for a little while, starring in David Fincher's Gone Girl and earning rave reviews as a mysterious husband. But Affleck made the crucial mistake of joining the DC Universe, starring as Batman in 2016's Dawn of Justice and last year's Justice League. Beyond the poor reviews received by those two films, Affleck's directorial career also suffered. Gangster adaptation Live by Night was a bomb, serving as a huge blow to his pedigree. All of this leads to one major question- can Affleck mount another comeback?
Hours ago, Deadline exclusively revealed that Affleck has lined up his next project behind the camera at Fox. The multi-hyphenate will direct an adaptation of Jeff Maysh's How An Ex-Cop Rigged McDonald's Monopoly Game And Stole Millions, a smash hit article published days ago on The Daily Beast. Matt Damon will star in the film, which is being written by Deadpool duo Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.
Per Deadline, the rights to the article became entangled in a fierce bidding war between multiple studios, including Universal, Warner Bros., and of course, Netflix. Fox won out in the end, paying an undisclosed amount for the rights. David Klawans will serve as an executive producer, while Pearl Street's Madison Ainsley and Fox's Matt Reilly will lead the project.
At the moment, Affleck is filming Dee Rees' The Last Thing He Wanted, a crime drama that will serve as her follow-up to Mudbound. Netflix will distribute. In addition, Affleck recently wrapped production on another Netflix title, J.C. Chandor's Triple Frontier. As for Damon, the superstar is filming James Mangold's Ford v. Ferrari, where he'll play Carroll Shelby. That film is set for release on June 28, 2019.
Of course, Affleck's future in the DC Universe is the big question at the moment. While it has long been presumed that Affleck is done with the character, that still has yet to be confirmed. As far as we know, he could still be playing Bruce Wayne in The Batman, the upcoming solo project set to be directed by War for the Planet of the Apes filmmaker Matt Reeves. It seems unlikely, but Warner Bros. theoretically should have confirmed his exit by now.
My sincere hope is that he's done with the series. He was never a bad Batman, but his decision to join the young franchise did major damage to his promising directorial career. Though I've still yet to read the Daily Beast article, I'm thrilled to see Affleck stepping behind the camera again for what sounds like an incredible true story. Look for more on this project as it develops.
Images: Warner Bros.
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