Ben Affleck currently has his hands full as the reigning Batman, but that doesn’t mean he won’t take time to get behind the camera for another directorial effort. The actor/director is currently scouting several projects but one, in particular, could reunite him with his recently Oscar-minted baby brother – Casey Affleck.
Word from the Tracking Board is that Ben Affleck is currently in talks with Sony Pictures to direct the film RED PLATOON, based on the memoir of U.S. soldier Clinton Romesha. Sony is also eyeing his brother Casey to star in the war drama, and if the two end up signing on it would be the first time the two collaborated on a project since 2007’s GONE BABY GONE – Ben’s directorial debut. The deal would be a huge score for Sony, as Affleck's last three directorial efforts (LIVE BY NIGHT, ARGO and THE TOWN) have all been at Warner Bros.
The movie is being produced by George Clooney and Grant Heslov for their Smokehouse Pictures, who also worked with Affleck on his Oscar-winning ARGO. Josh Bratman of Immersive Pictures and LONE SURVIVOR’s Kerry Foster are also producing the flick, the first draft of which was written by LEGEND OF TARZAN’s Adam Cozad.
The memoir by Romesha tells the story of the Battle of Kamdesh that occurred in October 2009 in which 300 Taliban soldiers executed a pre-dawn raid on Outpost Keating, an American outpost near the Afghan-Pakistani border. The soldiers breached the outpost’s defenses, leading Romesha to lead a band of U.S. soldiers to fight the Taliban despite being vastly out-numbered. He and his team saved dozens of American lives, earning him the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Ben Affleck recently suffered a blow with his last directorial effort, LIVE BY NIGHT, which bombed at the box office and with critics. This has not deterred him though, as he is also signed on to direct an adaptation of Agatha Christie's WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION. On top of this, he is still signed on to star in THE BATMAN for director Matt Reeves. No word yet on how his potential directing jobs will conflict with playing Batman, a role Casey got into hot water for saying Ben would soon stop playing. He later clarified his comments as a joke, and yet still one wonders if it's true given all the work Ben is in talks to direct (including an adaptation of Nathaniel Philbrick's "Bunker Hill").
Affleck seems to be loading up his plate with possible directing work which, unlike acting, require complete involvement from the start of pre-production all the way into post. That's a long time to work, and he could start work on the solo Batman as soon as next year. Does he really have time to do all this? Of course he could turn down this work and continue to focus solely on Batman, but frankly, RED PLATOON sounds right up his alley. He's showed a knack for great, intense aesthetic on THE TOWN and ARGO, and I'd love to see how he works with a war drama akin to BLACK HAWK DOWN. Who knows if he will officially sign on, but I'm down for the Afflecks bringing us a sweet war movie.
You can catch Ben Affleck in JUSTICE LEAGUE on November 17.