Ben Affleck

Anthony Mackie Plays RUNNER RUNNER, Alex Pettyfer Leads DIAMOND DOGS and Tim Roth Spies MOBIUS

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: May 17th, 2012 at 6:09 pm

Some casting news to share with you today.  Check the bullets:

• Anthony Mackie (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) is in talks to join Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake in the gambling drama, Runner Runner.
• Alex Pettyfer (I Am Number Four) will topline Diamond Dogs, an English-language thriller by director Pascal Chaumeil (Heartbreaker).
• Tim Roth (The Incredible Hulk) will join Jean Dujardin (The Artist) and Cecile De France (Hereafter) in the spy-thriller, Mobius.

Hit the jump for more.

Terrence Malick’s Romantic Drama Now Titled TO THE WONDER; Gets R-rating for “Some Sexuality/Nudity”

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 15th, 2012 at 7:30 am

Before the lineup for this year’s Cannes Film Festival was announced, many were hoping that Terrence Malick’s romantic drama starring Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams (previously referred to as The Burial) would be among the films set to premiere.  Given that he just released The Tree of Life last year, it would have been an unprecedented move; the average time between the release of Malick films is 7.6 years (yes, I did the math).  However, the director has become surprisingly prolific as of late, lining up two new films to shoot this year.  He filmed the romantic drama in 2010, but he famously spends years shaping his films in the editing room.

The Cannes lineup announcement came and went with no mention of Malick, but today we’ve got some news that provides hope for those wishing to see the film sometime this year.  Not only does the film now have a set title of To the Wonder, it has an official rating of R.  Hit the jump for more, including story details.

First Trailer and Poster for Ben Affleck’s ARGO Starring Bryan Cranston, John Goodman and Kyle Chandler

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 8th, 2012 at 7:32 am

The first trailer and poster for Ben Affleck‘s Argo has gone online.  The film, based on a true story, centers on a CIA agent (Affleck) who attempts to rescue six Americans trapped in the home of the Canadian embassador during the 1979 Iranian Revolution.  The rescue mission was to go in under the auspices of filming a science fiction movie entitled “Argo”.  The trailer makes the movie look like Ocean’s Eleven combined with a tense historical thriller.  I really like what I’m seeing from the trailer, and there’s a good chance Affleck could 3-for-3 in his successful directing career.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer and poster.  The film also stars Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Kyle Chandler, Kerry Bishe, and Alan Arkin.  Argo opens October 12th.

Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck to Star in RUNNER RUNNER

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: April 13th, 2012 at 5:30 pm

Here’s a safe bet for a good box office: Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck in the same film. The suited pair will reportedly star in Runner Runner, a gambling drama by director Brad Furman (Lincoln Lawyer) from a script by Rounders scribes, Brian Koppelman and David Levien.  The New Regency picture will be set in the world of offshore online gaming and features the deteriorating relationship between a business founder and his protege.  For those of you who lack a gambling addiction, the poker term “runner runner” refers to a hand made by hitting two consecutive cards on the turn and the river.  The movie could equally have been called “backdoor,” which is another name for the same thing, but I doubt studio executives wanted to touch that one.  Deadline reports that Runner Runner will start production  this June.

Ben Affleck to Star in Political Comedy NATHAN DECKER

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 29th, 2012 at 9:50 am

Despite his very bright future as a talented director, Ben Affleck hasn’t entirely turned his back on the acting game. Heat Vision reports that the actor is now attached to star in the Warner Bros. comedy Nathan Decker. Written by Dan Fogelman (Crazy, Stupid, Love), the story centers on “a politician who is caught in an affair and returns to his hometown to confront his past.” Tom Cruise was previously poised to star in the film, but it appears the politically-inclined Affleck will most likely be taking over the role now. I don’t think Affleck gets enough credit for his acting chops—especially in comedies—and I’m eager to see him tackle this sort of light, fun material.

Affleck’s currently finishing up post-production on his period thriller Argo, which he directed, and is prepping a big-budget adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand for Warner Bros. Given the heavy nature of his directorial projects (and a giant, highly anticipated adaptation looming over his head), it’ll be nice to see Affleck have some fun as an actor in Nathan Decker. No director is attached and no timetable is given, but I assume WB would want to shoot Decker before Affleck goes into what’s sure to be a long production on The Stand.

THE TOWN Ultimate Collector’s Edition Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: March 22nd, 2012 at 6:05 am

Few career resurrections/resuscitations have been so pronounced as Ben Affleck’s. Post-Gigli and Surviving Christmas, there was a sense that Affleck was going to live in the shadow of his previous successes and showcase the career path that Matt Damon managed to avoid. But his turn to directing has enlivened his career, leading to better roles (or at least better chosen ones) and an earned respect for his behind-the-scenes talents.

In The Town, Affleck stars as a bank robber looking to get out, but is sucked into one last score. Though The Town isn’t quite as good as Gone Baby Gone, it shows that Affleck can handle action and suspense fairly well even while starring in the film. Co-starring Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Blake Lively and Jeremy Renner, our review of The Town: Ultimate Collector’s Edition on Blu-ray follows after the jump.

New Images from THE HOBBIT and ARGO

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 30th, 2012 at 2:40 pm

Warner Bros. has released new images from Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit and Ben Affleck’s Argo.  As you can see, the new image from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey shows Bilbo being offered some food, and the Argo image shows Ben Affleck doing a reading for his mission to rescue some American hostages from Iran.  So…nothing Earth-shattering but we’re all really looking forward to these movies so we’ll take what we can get.

Hit the jump to check out the full images.  The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens in 3D on December 14th.  Argo opens September 14th.

Warner Bros. Sets Screenwriter for Ben Affleck’s THE STAND; Matt Damon’s Untitled Drama Moves to Universal

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 18th, 2012 at 5:49 pm

We’ve got a couple updates on the latest projects from Oscar-winning screenwriting duo Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (yes, they act too). A few months ago Affleck was chosen by Warner Bros. to direct their big-budget adaptation of the Stephen King novel The Stand. While it’s been a while since we’ve heard any movement on the project, it now appears that Affleck has now set a screenwriter on the pic. After apparently wowing the studio with an adaptation of King’s It, David Kajganich (The Invasion) has been tapped to handle scripting duties. Hit the jump for much more, including news concerning the untitled drama that Damon was previously set to direct.

More Details on Terrence Malick’s Untitled Romantic Drama Starring Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 3rd, 2011 at 7:58 am

Earlier this week, we reported that writer-director Terrence Malick had two new films (both starring Christian Bale) in the pipeline, which was surprising considering the huge time gap between Malick’s previous movies.  But neither of the Bale movies are the follow-up to The Tree of Life.  Malick’s next movie is an untitled romantic drama (previously titled The Burial) he shot last year, and 24 Frames has some new details on the plot.  To begin, it’s Malick’s first movie set in the present day, and he’s currently at work editing the picture, which he expects to be finished by next year (although that doesn’t mean a distributor will release it in 2012).  So what’s this mystery flick about?  Philandering!  Europeans!  Oklahoma!

Hit the jump for more details.  The film stars Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Olga Kurylenko, Javier Bardem, Rachel Weisz, Barry Pepper, and Jessica Chastain.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck to Reteam for Biopic of Irish Crime Boss Whitey Bulger; Plus an Update on Damon’s Directorial Debut [UPDATED]

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 24th, 2011 at 9:41 am

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are set to reteam for a biopic of Irish crime boss Whitey Bulger.  The project hasn’t been officially announced, but Damon is playing Bulger, Affleck is directing, and Terrence Winter (Boardwalk Empire) is writing the script.  Affleck and Damon were previously planning to team up for The Trade, a true-life story about wife-swapping Yankees players, but legal complications have held up the project.  Damon says the movie is still in development, but it will come after the Bulger biopic.

Hit the jump for more on Bulger, the direction the movie might take, and an update on Damon’s recently-announced directorial debut. [Update: More details have been revealed about the project including new casting.  Hit the jump for more.]

Warner Bros. Chooses Ben Affleck to Direct and Adapt Stephen King’s THE STAND

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: October 21st, 2011 at 4:17 pm

In a bit of a head scratcher, Warner Bros. has chosen Ben Affleck to write and direct their adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand. The reason that this news is confusing is that just a couple months ago, it was reported that Warner Bros. was in negotiations with director David Yates to reunite with his Harry Potter scribe Steve Kloves for a multi-film adaptation of King’s novel. Deadline has the Affleck news, and their report has no mention of Yates. The Potter director was in high demand after helming the last four films in the beloved franchise, and it seemed as though he’d be tied up with The Stand for a few years before being able to take on any other projects. Now it looks as though Yates is free to choose another film as his follow-up. Hit the jump for more.

Matt Damon to Direct ERIN BROCKOVICH-Like Project, Based on an Idea from John Krasinski and Dave Eggers

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: October 19th, 2011 at 6:38 pm

We have been keeping tabs on Matt Damon’s directorial ambitions for some time now.  The wife-swapping Yankee tale The Trade was an early candidate for his directorial debut, but the project is on hold pending legal issues.  The thriller Father Daughter Time emerged as another possibility this summer.  When Damon remarked that John Krasinski will star in an upcoming project, we linked Krasinki to Father Daughter Time.  However, we learned tonight that Father Daughter Time and the Krasinski collaboration are two separate projects.  Krasinski came up with the idea for the untitled drama, which THR compares to Erin Brockovich in the sense that the story centers on a town being poisoned.  Variety adds a bit more detail: “Damon plays a salesman who arrives in a small town only to have his whole life called into question.”  More after the jump.

Warner Bros. Sets Release Date for Ben Affleck’s ARGO

by Jackson Cresswell    Posted: September 29th, 2011 at 1:31 pm

Earlier this month we brought you the first official synopsis of Ben Affleck’s new political/period drama Argo.  Then we saw a few set photos of Alan Arkin with Affleck who was looking fly in his wide-collared wardrobe complete with gold chain and chest hair a-poppin’.  The supporting cast—which includes names like Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, and Michael Parks—combined with the Affleck’s directing talent make Argo look like a must-see.  Now we know when we will see: According to Box Office Mojo, Warner Bros. has set the release date for September 14, 2012.  This release date follows yesterday’s release date news about another potential WB awards contender, Gangster Squad.

Hit the jump for the synopsis and my thoughts on the release date.

FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH and DAZED AND CONFUSED Blu-ray Reviews

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: September 24th, 2011 at 6:37 am

Universal has been releasing Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Dazed and Confused together for a while now. I guess it makes sense. They’re both “party” films in that it’s hard to imagine Fast Times having the impact it did without Sean Penn’s Jeff Spicoli character, and Dazed and Confused second half is virtually one long party. Universal has embraced that, often selling both with pot jokes. Fast Times follows a group of teens (including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Phoebe Cates, Penn, Judge Reinhold and more) as they look for love and deal with sex in high school, while Confused follows a set of juniors (including Jason London, Ben Affleck, Parker Posey and Adam Goldberg) as they are about to become seniors and become rulers of the school. Our reviews of both Fast Times and Dazed and Confused on Blu-ray follow after the jump.

First Look at Ben Affleck and Alan Arkin from the Set of ARGO

by Matt Currie    Posted: September 8th, 2011 at 10:26 am

Ben Affleck’s underway on his latest acting/directing gig—the fact-based, 70s-set political thriller Argo, which focuses on a CIA agent trying to extract six Americans trapped in Iran at the height of the Iranian revolution. This in mind, a few pics of the bearded, bell-bottomed star on the film’s Los Angeles set have surfaced online. While they don’t reveal too much, we do get to see Affleck conversing with co-star Alan Arkin and whipping those bulging pecs and deltoids left over from The Town into ‘70s shape with a regimen of purple Gatorade and cigarettes.

Hit the jump to check out the images and for more on Argo.

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