After Ben Affleck’s tense political thriller Argo came out as best in show at both the Oscars and the BAFTAs, it seems his stock as an actor and director has risen tenfold. Ben is already set to direct Live By Night following his somewhat controversial starring role as Bruce Wayne in Batman vs. Superman. Now Deadline are reporting that Will Staples (also attached to James Cameron project Myth) has been hired to script a geopolitical thriller based in Africa, for Ben Affleck to direct and star as the film’s lead.
The story involves mercenaries who are hired to take care of a warlord whose been exploiting his own people. A more in-depth explanation would be ”both an action movie and an examination of the moral ambiguities of how philanthropy and foreign assistance veers into modern day neocolonialism’.
So naturally there’s shades of Argo in the formula, in the film’s topic matter of political strife, but it seems this conflict can only be solved violently. There’s certainly a lot of ripe territory to explore in the realm of African political thrillers and if Blood Diamond is any indication, it’s probably a recipe for success. Affleck’s lifelong collaborator and friend Matt Damon is set to produce the film via Pearl Street Films.
Originally published October 26, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
