Ben Affleck eyes action-thriller ‘The Accountant’ for next role

Ben Affleck seems to have a penchant for characters with secret lives. The star of the marital murder mystery “Gone Girl” and the superhero showdown “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” may next portray an accountant by day and assassin by night.

The 42-year-old actor-director is in talks to star in the action-thriller “The Accountant” for Warner Bros., the Times has confirmed. Variety first reported the news.

With an original script by Bill DuBuque (of the upcoming Robert Downey Jr. movie “The Judge”), “The Accountant” tells the story of a brilliant bookkeeper who moonlights as a contract killer. Warner Bros. is looking at Gavin O’Connor (“Warrior”) to direct, and the producers are Mark Williams and Lynette Howell.

“The Accountant” has been bouncing around Hollywood for some time, with directors including Mel Gibson and the Coen Brothers previously attached and Will Smith circling the lead role at one point. The project was most recently set up at Sony, which put it into turnaround, where Warner Bros. reacquired it.

Affleck is currently receiving strong notices for his performance as suspected murderer Nick Dunne in David Fincher’s “Gone Girl.” He’ll head back to Detroit after stumping for that movie so he can finish shooting “Batman v Superman” for Zack Snyder.

The plan would then be for Affleck to shoot “The Accountant” before beginning production on his next directorial effort, an adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s crime novel “Live by Night.”

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