Casey Affleck Joins Ben Affleck's Whitey Bulger Film

Deadline reports that Casey Affleck will have a supporting role in his brother Ben Affleck's Whitey Bulger movie. Casey previously starred in Ben's first directorial effort Gone Baby Gone giving a solid performance earning him credibility as a dramatic actor. The trio first worked together on Good Will Hunting which earned Matt and Ben an Oscar for their script. He also co-starred with Matt in the successful Ocean's trilogy directed by Steven Soderbergh. They confirm that Damon will play Whitey Bulger in the film.

Casey's role is unknown but he's recently played dark characters so it would be easy to see him in the role of gangster or lawman. This could mean other actors that Ben has previously worked with in front and behind the camera could join the cast. I'm hoping names like Jeremy Renner are also in contentions for roles.

Matt Damon & Ben Affleck Making A Whitey Bulger Bio-Pic

Warner Bros. is really coming out with some seriously interesting projects in the last couple of months. This new one that ThePlaylist (via GQ) mentions sounds like something that could have Oscar contender written all over it. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are re-teaming for a bio-pic of Boston mobster Whitey Bulgar who was the head of the notorious Winter Hill gang. While there are a number of other Bulger films in development Damon hopes their project will scare off the other guys. The big weight behind their version is that Terence Winter the writer of HBO's Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire will be handling the script with Ben Affleck directing. Not to mention a major studio is backing them.

Damon and Affleck would star in the film but it's unknown if it will be a straight up period piece similar to Goodfellas. Bulger was a major influence on Jack Nicholson's character Frank Costello in Martin Scorsese's The Departed. I wouldn't be shocked to see Martin Scorsese attached as a producer down the line along with familiar faces in supporting roles. I'm beyond exicted to see another crime drama directed by Affleck and having it written by Winter is a giant bonus. I'm a massive fan of Ben as a director and I really wish he sticks to this sort of genre for at least a couple more films. He's been offered more commerical films like Man of Steel and Stephen King's The Stand but I'd prefer he'd stick to these type of movies.

If I had to come up with one actor that needs to be included in this film it's Alec Baldwin. Alec played such an amazing gangster in The Cooler and a ruthless salesman in Glenngary Glen Ross. It would be a shame for him to retire before going all out that a film like this could allow him to do. I felt he was short changed in The Departed since he plays such great villains.

Casting For Ben Affleck's Argo Is Coming Together

I rarely find an actor that I prefer to see behind the camera but Ben Affleck's films Gone Baby Gone and The Town are masterpieces in my opinion. While I'm upset that Affleck isn't directing mobster period drama Gangster Squad which was offered to him. Argo however has an interesting concept and could end up surprising me as The Town did. Set in 1979, the film is about a covert mission orchestrated by the CIA to rescue U.S. diplomat hostages in Tehran. They did this by pretending to set up a Hollywood production for a sci-fi movie called Argo and actually employed producers and make-up artists to help make it all look real.

The film's cast is shaping up to be an odd mix of newcomers and vets. It includes Affleck, Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad, Drive), John Goodman (Big Lebowski), Kyle Chandler (Super8, King Kong), Rory Cochrane (Public Enemies, Dazed & Confused), Michael Parks (Kill Bill, Red State), Scoot McNairy (Monsters, Cogan's Trade), Taylor Schilling (Dark Matter), Tate Donovan (Friends, Shooter), Nelson Franklin (Office, Scott Pilgrim), Victor Garber (Milk) and Richard Kind (A Serious Man). 

The Town Hits Home

Ben Affleck… during the early turn of the millennium and the 90’s, he has become the butt of every joke about bad acting and frankly a sad disappointment. But as we laugh and make fun, Ben was perfecting his skills and has evolved into a respectable and invested storyteller; directing one of my favorite films “Gone Baby Gone” in 2007.

Ben’s sophomore directorial, “The Town” is back in Boston following a group of childhood friends turned notorious bank robbers. Lead by Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) and his trigger-happy best friend James Coughlin (Jeremy Renner) they meticulously plan heists to perfection hitting a number of armored cars. They quickly gain confidence and rob a large bank; mistakes are made and they are forced to take a hostage. Bank Manager Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) is blind folded by hostile men and left tied up alone on the shoreline. Despite heist complications MacRay and his crew believe they’ve escaped without a trace until its brought to their attention that the FBI has found their hostage and is on a full scale man hunt. Task force leader Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm) is getting closer to discovering their identities by the hour and he starts his investigation with Ms.Keesey.

Paranoid, MacRay be-friends Ms.Keesey to assess her knowledge of incriminating details about him and his team; clueless of his true identity, she falls in love with him and they begin a relationship behind the teams back and in plain sight of the FBI. Suspicions rise from all sides, along with the investigation and the difficulty and dangerousness of their following heists. MacRay’s loyalty is conflicted between his friends and new love, in the midst of a closing investigation and critical heists.

The town is a multi-layered film, telling a love story within a cops and robbers action drama, while testing the morals of lasting friendship. As a director Ben Affleck makes all the right decisions and illustrates an emotional and honest narrative. The cast is near-flawless with the exception of Mr. Affleck’s melodramatic relapse in one scene, but all in all this is a great film and one of my favorites of the year. Buy this film on Blu-ray and add it to your collection of great films.

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5 Candidates To Take Over Iron Man 3

Now that it's been confirmed by Jon Favreau himself that he is not returning for Iron Man 3 to focus on Disney's Magic Kingdom. Could Disney favorites Andrew Stanton (John Carter of Mars) and Joseph Kosinski (Tron Legacy) be hired to replace him? Other possibilities could include Marvel directors on the current payroll like Edgar Wright or Joss Whedon. To bring a new vision and blood to the franchise Marvel might want to look at some of the following directors.

MY TOP CHOICES

Ruben Fleischer is my personal choice to enter the world of Iron Man and re-tool it. If the studio is serious in bringing in new blood they'll get Ruben to bring the perfect balance of comedy and action. His smash hit Zombieland has lead to studios like Warner Bros. to offer him their big period crime film Tales From The Gangster Squad . If Marvel is looking to get this guy on the cheap now is the time. Ruben is currently finishing up on the adrenaline fueled comedy 30 Minutes Or Less. Production on Zombieland 2 is expect to start shooting sometime this fall/winter.






Ben Affleck is gaining praise for his recent work on The Town and it's rightly deserved. Affleck proved himself as an excellent director back when he made Gone Baby Gone. He's been offered high profile directing gigs over at Warner Bros. with the Superman reboot and Gangster Squad. While he's directed mostly dramatic films he got his start in comedy. Starring in such classics like Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy and Mallrats. He  played a comic book artist in Chasing Amy so I think that's enough geek credit. Including his decent portrayal of Daredevil (in a sloppy written/directed film) opposite Jon Favreau.

Another Ben that comes to mind is Ben Stiller, yes that Ben. Stiller has come into his own with directorial efforts Zoolander and Tropic Thunder. The latter which earned Robert Downey Jr.'s recent Oscar nomination. Ben like Edgar could double as writer and director saving Marvel some money on a screenwriter. Hopefully Stiller would stay behind the camera a mistake Favreau made during Iron Man 2. His character Happy Hogan was charming in the first film but became a large distraction in the sequel.

Matt Reeves best known for his work on Cloverfield could very well be another excellent candidate. He's been in contention for directing duties on both Wolverine 2 and Superman: Man of Steel. He's been able to impress a lot of people with his remake of Let The Right One In (Let Me In). Ending up a compliment to the original rather than a horrible mistake. Reeves visual style screams Marvel if he doesn't get the gig Kevin Feige needs to consider him for other properties.





David Gordon Green might not seem like a likely choice but he's been able to double as director talented in both comedy and drama. One of his first films Snow Angels was a deep dramatic piece. It wasn't until he jumped into directing the Seth Rogen comedy Pineapple Express that we really got see his wild side. I believe like Ruben, David would be able to bring that different vision to the Iron Man world and give it the much needed face-lift. He's putting the finishing touches on his epic stoner fantasy/comedy Your Highness which uses lots of practical and digital effects. So he wouldn't be new to the world of the green-screen and pre-visualization.