For well over a quarter-century now, Ben Affleck has been one of the most famous and prolific faces in Hollywood. Throughout his career, Affleck has taken home multiple Oscars, including several for Best Picture winner Argo and his breakthrough hit, Good Will Hunting, and done pretty much everything else an actor/director/writer/producer can do in the business. And while he could stop making movies entirely and build an entire career with successful Dunkin’ commercials, Affleck has no intention of slowing down anytime soon.
Below we will break down where we will see Ben Affleck (on both sides of the camera) as well as when we can expect to see all of those projects.
The Accountant 2 (Starring) - TBD (Pre-Production)
More than a half-decade after its predecessor became a surprise hit and the most rented movie of 2017, The Accountant 2, or whatever it ends up being called, will continue the story of Ben Affleck’s Christian Wolff and his dangerous and deadly double life. In March 2024, Deadline announced that Affleck, Jon Bernthal, J.K. Simmons, and Cynthia Addai-Robinson were all returning to pick up where their respective characters left off in the 2016 thriller.
Though we don’t know a whole lot about The Accountant 2 when it comes to the plot or how it’ll pick up after the first film’s ending, it sounds like production could get started sooner rather than later. When speaking with Collider in March 2024, Simmons revealed that he was going to Los Angeles “in a little over a week” for rehearsals and to start shooting his portion of the film. Expect to hear much more in the coming weeks and months.
Animals (Directing) - TBD (Announced)
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have been creative partners for about as long as they have been friends, and that partnership has given us great movies like Good Will Hunting and Air, to name only a few. And now, the pair are planning their next feature film, Animals. The movie, described as a crime thriller by Netflix Tudum, will see Affleck serve as director while Damon will be one of its stars.
Not a whole lot has been revealed about the plot, but the movie will reportedly center around a kidnapping of some sort, according to Variety. The status of the film’s production has also not yet been divulged, so it’s hard to say when we’ll get to see this upcoming Netflix movie.
Ghost Army (Starring, Directing, Writing) - TBD (Announced)
Now we find ourselves in the murky waters of projects Ben Affleck has been attached to for some time, but still don't have a release date (or production start date for that matter). Ghost Army, which is based on the World War II story about a United States Army unit that used inflatable tanks and other mocked-up military equipment to deceive Nazi forces. The film is based in part on the 2013 documentary Ghost Army and the book The Ghost Army of World War II: How One Top-Secret Unit Deceived The Enemy With Inflatable Tanks, Sound Effects, And Other Audacious Fakery.
A project like this is in Affleck's wheelhouse, especially after he took home an Academy Award for Argo in 2013. Nearly five years after the project was first announced, there still isn't any information on when we can expect to see the film, but Affleck is slated to star, write, and direct the project.
Falling To Earth (Starring) - TBD (Announced)
Another project that has had Ben Affleck's name attached to it for some time is the historic tornado film by the name of Falling To Earth. Based on Kate Southwood's 2013 novel of the same name, the film is set in a small Illinois town in 1925 that is ravaged by the worst tornado on record. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Affleck is attached to star as one of the survivors of a family left relatively untouched by the storm who tries to rebuild the devastated community in the months following the disaster.
The project was first announced in October 2019, but there's no word on a potential release date or any substantial updates in the years that have followed the initial reveal.
I Am Still Alive (Starring, Producing) - TBD (Announced)
Ben Affleck is looking to enter the genre of survival thrillers with the film adaptation of Kate Alice Marshall's novel I Am Still Alive. According to a 2018 Deadline report, Affleck is attached to star and produce the film, where he will play the off-the-grid father who is tasked with taking care of his teenage daughter in the Canadian wilderness after a car crash kills her mother and leaves her injured.
Described as a mixture of Wild and The Revenant, I Am Still Alive looks to focus on the undying spirit of a rebellious teenager and her closed-off father as they brave the elements in the far north. There has been no word on a release date or even when the film will enter production, but hopefully, this movie is still in development, because it could be a fun and exhilarating theater experience.
King Leopold's Ghost (Writing, Directing) - TBD (Announced
In November 2019, Deadline reported that Ben Affleck had been hard at work on the historical war drama King Leopold's Ghost for some time. Based on the book King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Green, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild, the film will center on the horrible crusade by Belgium's King Leopold II through the Congo in the late 19th century.
For those not familiar with King Leopold II or his campaign through the African jungle, the ruthless king and military leader was reportedly responsible for the deaths of approximately 8 million people in the region. How Affleck handles this story remains to be seen, but I'm sure he's handling it delicately with all of the time he has committed to the project. Make sure to check back for an update on what should be a remarkable historical drama.
Untitled McDonald's Monopoly Movie (Producing) - TBD (Announced)
It has been four years since everyone was talking about the HBO docuseries McMillions, which chronicled the hard-to-believe story of the McDonald's Monopoly Scam. And even though the buzz has died down in the years since the true crime docuseries’ 2020 premiere, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have been attached to a film adaptation of the scandal. In a February 2020 interview with Collider, Affleck revealed that although he was busy with other projects at the time, he was still devoted to this project, which had recently received a new script treatment. All I want to know is if FBI agent Doug Matthews is going to portray himself in the film adaptation.
By the looks of it, we will be seeing a lot of Ben Affleck in the months and years to come. To see what else is coming to theaters this year, check out CinemaBlend’s updated 2024 movie schedule.
