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Ben Affleck Writing, Directing, Starring in The Town

by Alex Billington
September 15, 2008

Ben Affleck will write, direct, and star in The Town, an adaptation of the romance/heist novel "Prince of Thieves" written by Chuck Hogan. Affleck proved he was a very capable filmmaker last year with his directorial debut on Gone Baby Gone, a personal favorite that has been on my mind recently after watching What Doesn't Kill You. Described as similarly toned to Gone Baby Gone, the story involves a high-tension love triangle between a female bank manager, a longtime thief who stole more than her heart and an equally smitten FBI agent trying to bust the crook and his gang before they can pull another big job. Given how much I loved his first film, I'm excited to see what Affleck is capable of the second time around.

Affleck is doing a rewrite on the script that was first written by Peter Craig. Affleck is also planning to star as the thief who falls in love with the manager of a bank. Graham King is producing under his production company and the film is setup at Warner Brothers. The story in the film is based in Charlestown, Massachusetts, with is a gritty blue-collar Boston suburb similar to the one in Gone Baby Gone, making this another hometown movie for Affleck. I would much rather prefer Affleck just stay behind the camera and find actors to better fulfill the roles, like his brother Casey Affleck, but right now that doesn't seem to be the case. Otherwise, this sounds like another hit in the works and I can't wait to see it come together.

The book has been receiving quite a few great reviews, including this one from Amazon. "Chuck Hogan has written a marvelous book. The characters are richly drawn and you can see them in your mind - the action, and the mystery all come alive. The old neighborhoods of Boston and Charlestown are engraved in memory." I've been anxiously awaiting the announcement of Ben Affleck's next directorial gig, because Gone Baby Gone was such an extraordinary film and he has so much more talent behind the camera that has yet to be tapped. This really sounds like another perfect story for Affleck to write and direct and should turn out fantastic. Who else thought Ben Affleck did a great job with Gone Baby Gone?

Explore tags: Hype, Movie News, Opinions

Jon

I thought Gone Baby Gone was awesome. Positively awesome.
Dave Lister, J.M.C.

As a lifelong resident of the Greater Boston area, I can attest that Ben Affleck knows how authentically portray Boston on the big screen. What made Gone Baby Gone so visually interesting, was that it looked like the Boston I've actually seen while driving and walking around here. There were no gratuitous shots of the Longfellow Bridge or the Statehouse; that always just scream, "Hey, see we sent a second unit to Boston for two whole weeks! So what if we shot everything else in L.A. or Toronto or Vancouver." With Gone Baby Gone I actually saw a Boston onscreen that I'm familiar with, on a daily basis. I hope this new film works out as well as Gone Baby Gone did.
Peloquin

I welcome Affleck with open arms for once...Gone Baby Gone was fantastic and unique so lets just hope he doesn't get lazy. Plus his performance in "I'm fucking Ben Affleck" with his co star Jimmy Kimmel gave me a new appreciation for his exquisite acting style.
https://www.myspace.com/secondstarontheright maverick

Ben and Casey are cousins. Not brothers.
Dave Lister, J.M.C.

Ben and Casey are brothers. Not cousins. It is so listed on many different sources. It has been common knowledge for some time that Casey is Ben's younger brother... although I wouldn't be opposed to viewing your source for that information.
athena

I think Ben is a great director.....He'll be directing for some time. He has a great eye and I'm always surprise when he acts well. I like him better as a director, and yes, Gone Baby Gone was one of my favorites...he really depicts the bottom core of life. Way to go Ben Affleck.
ClerksFan

I thought Gone Baby Gone was an excellent film (although there were "twists" that I saw coming a mile away). Good acting and directing, there isn't really anything that anyone can say was wrong with that film. I look forward to watching just about anything that Affleck does. Even if he was the shark in a remake of Jaws. And Maverick..... they're brothers.
Lauretta

Ben is great. He was wonderful to work with on the set of Gone Baby Gone. I wish him more success.
Kerin

Charlestown is not a suburb, it's a town that is part of the city of Boston. Please correct this. As a life-long resident of Charlestown it would make me feel better about this article. Your readers should know the facts. Thank you.
vcat

It is all about the books. "Gone Baby Gone" was an excellent book and so is "Prince of Thieves." When you have good books as a starting point, good movies can follow if the director doesn't mess up.
Loddy

I second the Charlestown comment -- it's Boston, NOT a suburb. It's like saying Harlem or the UES is a suburb of New York.
Toni

I third.