It’s not much of a debate to say Ben Affleck is at a very interesting point of his career. Depending on who you talk to, he’s either the hardest working filmmaker working today, or the biggest asshole for taking the role of Batman. Regardless of what you think about him, his passion for bringing Boston to the forefront of entertainment hasn’t faded.
Affleck has just signed a deal to direct a pilot for the Fox known as The Middle Man, which is described as a crime series set during the 1960’s Boston. Sounds like a perfect fit for ol’ Benny boy to me.
The Middle Man is said to “explores the unique relationship between Rudy MacAteer, an FBI agent charged with taking down the Italian-American mafia, and his confidential informant, Irish-American gangster Mickey Flood.”As Bleeding Cool points out, none of these characters seem to be based on any historical figures and are most likely fictionalized.
This adds another creative project to his already busy schedule for the next couple of years. Affleck is currently directing Live By Night, which is another crime-drama set in Boston. On top of that, he has a starring role in David Fincher’s next film Gone Girl. Add in the extreme pressure of handling Batman and you have a guy who has a lot of mainstream potential for the next few years. Let’s hope the guy knows what he is doing.
Source: Bleeding Cool
A lot of crime shows, no matter how good the directing and acting are, have become a bit played out. It would be nice to have a crime show that really shook things up instead of being just another edgy kitchen sink drama with cops and mobsters. The 100 Bullets comics are a great example of how you can take a crime setting and build an awesome story within. If they made a show out of that, it would be a breath of fresh air.