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.