Ashleigh Hill-Buxton
Oscar-hopeful and heartthrob actor Ben Affleck is in talks with Warner Bros to make “Live By Night”; the next film he will write-direct-produce and star in, according to Deadline.com.
“Live by Night” is based on the newly-released novel by Dennis Lehane that was published by William Morrow.
Warner Bros acquired the rights to “Live by Night” when it was in its early-editing stages and was to be produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson-Killoran’s production company, Appian way. Appian way will now produce with Pearl Street, the production company that Affleck shares with fellow Hollywood heartthrob Matt Damon.
“Live by Night” uses some of the characters that appeared in Lehane’s earlier, period novel “The Given Day” and transports them into the Prohibition era. The plot’s main focus is Joe Coughlin, the black-sheep son of a police captain who finds himself becoming more and more involved in the world of organised crime.
Although Warner Bros bought the rights to “The Given Day”, nothing as yet has happened with bringing that novel to the silver screen. Although Lehane intends to complete a trilogy featuring “The Given Day” and “Live by Night”, Affleck will only focus on Lehane’s most recent novel.
Affleck made his directorial debut in 2007 with “Gone Baby Gone”, also based on a novel series written by Lehane.
