Ben, you know your career’s in trouble when your less famous little brother is getting better roles than you. Variety reports that Ben’s bro Casey Affleck has landed the role of Robert Ford in the upcoming Warner Bros’ adaptation of the novel “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”.
The role of Jesse James has already been long cast, with Brad Pitt in as the most infamous outlaw of the Old West. The Andrew Dominik (Chopper) directed flick is due to start shooting in two weeks, which should leave them just enough time to tow in a trailer for Casey.
Ford was made famous for being the man who killed Jesse James… but he did it by shooting him in the back. Robert Ford was once a part of the James gang, but later turned against them and meant to make a name for himself by being the man who killed the highly skilled Mr. James. By shooting James in the back, Ford ended up making a name for himself not as a gunfighter, but as the West’s most famous, yellow-bellied coward.
Personally, I’ve always been more interested in the older, wiser James brother Frank. Hopefully, he’ll at least make an appearance somewhere in this version of the James Gang retelling.
