In the wake of Warner Bros.' less-than-stellar performance fromJustice Leagueand the like,Ben Affleckhas been pretty quick to sign on to anything and everything outside of the DCEU. It looks less and less likely by the day that the studio will be doubling down on a second part toJustice League, and it’s now just as unlikely that Affleck will star in the title role ofMatt Reeves' solo filmThe Batman, since that script is said to skew towards a younger protagonist. But there’s still a lot of versatility in Affleck and plenty of years left in his career, whether or not he ever dons the cape and cowl again.
THRreports that Affleck will now joinAnne HathawayinThe Last Thing He Wanted,Dee Rees' follow-up film toMudbound. That film went on to earn four Oscar nominations, including one for Rees herself, becoming the first African American woman to be nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. Currently filming in Puerto Rico with an eye on a 2019 release, the Netflix feature also recently addedToby Jones,Rosie PerezandEdi Gathegito the cast.
The Last Thing He Wantedis based onJoan Didion’s 1996 novel and follows “hardscrabble journalist, Elena McMahon (Hathaway), who inherits her father’s position as a dealmaker — an arms dealmaker. She soon finds herself on dangerous ground as the Iran-Contra Affair’s arms-for-drugs plot reaches its tipping point.” There are no details as to Affleck’s character at the moment.
Rees penned the screenplay along withMarco Villalobosand will also produce alongsideCassian Elwesin aMudboundreunion.Jamin O’Brien,Wayne Godfrey,Robert Jones,Mark LaneandJames Harrisare also on board as executive producers.
Affleck’s first Netflix feature,J.C. Chandor’sTriple Frontier, will see him star oppositeCharlie HunnamandOscar Isaac. That film is also expected out in 2019, meaning that Affleck will likely have a pair of streaming features next year that should keep him plenty busy on the PR circuit. Perhaps his schedule will open up for a return to the DC Universe, perhaps not.
For more on Affleck and hisBatmanwoes, get caught up with these recent write-ups:
