Many (myself included) are still reeling from the fact that somehow Ben Affleck wasn’t nominated for Best Director during this morning Oscar nominations announcements, but I have little doubt that we’ll be hearing Affleck’s name as a major part of an awards season race again soon.  Argo was his most accomplished work yet, and eyes are now looking to what he’ll be directing as his next project.

We recently heard that Affleck was eyeing an adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s 1920s Boston crime drama Live By Night as his next effort, and during a recent interview Affleck confirmed that he’s currently working on the screenplay as he readies the pic to be his next film.  He also took a moment to explain why he had to drop out of starring in the drama Focus with Kristen Stewart.  Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

Director Ben Affleck is reportedly going back to the well to possibly adapt the Dennis Lehane novel, Live by Night, for his next feature.  The multi-hyphenate is expected to write/produce/direct and star in the film, which is set up at Warner Bros.  Another Lehane project would be fitting since Affleck cut his directorial teeth on the author’s novel, Gone Baby Gone.  Live by Night is a new novel from Lehane that was just recently published and is a period piece, taking place in Boston in the roaring ’20s.  Hit the jump for the full plot description of Live by Night.

Another Denis Lehane novel is headed to the big screen.  Some great feature films have previously been adapted from the author’s works such as Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone, and Shutter Island, and now Deadline reports that Warner Bros. has acquired the rights to Live By Night with Leonardo DiCaprio attached to star.  The book actually doesn’t come out until October, but it takes the characters from Lehane’s World War I-set novel The Given Day and brings them into Prohibition.  No other plot details are given.  Live By Night is the second installment of a trilogy Lehane is writing, so now Warner Bros. controls all the material.

Sam Raimi had previously tried to get a feature film adaptation of The Given Day made, but his option has since lapsed.  I haven’t read The Given Day, but I’m a fan of the Lehane books that I’ve read and DiCaprio has excellent taste, so I’m assuming Live By Night will be another intriguing (and probably depressing) adaptation once it gets off the ground.