Deadline is reporting that Ben Affleck will direct a film adaptation of Stephen King’s epic novel The Stand. Warner Brothers, who own the rights to the novel, love Affleck and are currently in the process of producing his third directorial film, Argo.
Harry Potter director David Yates was originally signed on to direct the project but it seems he has left to direct Tom Hardy in the Al Capone biopic, Cicero.
It is presumed that The Stand will be Affleck’s next directional project after Argo, but that’s not for sure. He’s already signed on to direct an adaptation of Harlan Coben’s mystery novel Tell No One, which is also at Warner Bros. and it is unclear if that will come before or after The Stand.
Also, at the end of August, Affleck was in talks to star in and direct another project at Warner Brothers, a military action-thriller called Line of Sight. Finally, he also has a passion project about human rights abuse which he has been trying to get funding for.
Affleck currently has a lot on his plate and I’m eager to see it all. I think he’s a wonderful director. It’s obvious that Warner Bros. are big supporters of him and they seem to be creating a very strong relationship that will hopefully result in some fantastic films.
So while it’s not 100% sure that The Stand will fit into his schedule, if Affleck does stay on to direct, it is likely we will see a 2014 release.
