Ben Affleck to star in and direct next movie Argo

ben affleck

Ben Affleck has decided to both star in and direct his next movie, political thriller Argo .

Working from a script by Chris Terrio that appeared on the 2010 Black List, Affleck will play Tony Mendez in the film.

He’s a CIA disguise expert who, in 1979, creates a fake Hollywood production in order to help six American diplomats escape Iran.

Argo will be Affleck’s first ‘period’ film, which comes with its own set of challenges. But considering he’s proven how adept he is behind the camera, with Gone Baby Gone and The Town , this shouldn’t pose too much of a problem for him.

Also in negotiations to join Affleck in Argo ’s acting department are Alan Arkin and John Goodman, who are apparently close to signing on the dotted line.

Add that cast to that involving premise, and it looks like Affleck could be about score a directing hat trick.

Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.