Don’t call it a comeback. Well maybe you can. Isn’t it hard to believe that it was barely six years ago when the name Affleck was synonymous with ‘has-been’? His acting career was on the skids after a glut of box-offices turkeys like Daredevil, Gigli and Jersey Girl. Not to mention that every aspect of his personal life was under attack due to the tabloid fueled beast named ‘Bennifer.’ Ben seemed like he was rapidly becoming yet another cautionary tale for the too-much/too soon young Hollywood celebs. Making his little gold statue for co-penning ‘Good Will Hunting’ seem more and more like a fluke. Then came ‘Gone Baby Gone.’
Affleck’s first foray behind the camera in 2007, silenced many naysayers with his well-crafted and well-executed tale of kidnapping, crime and corruption which he also co-wrote. His follow-up, The Town, earned praise from audiences and critics alike, even garnering some Oscar nods.
His latest film ‘Argo’, currently in production, is based on true events. The story chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis–the truth of which was unknown by the public for decades. Back in the fall of 1979, a Iranian revolution reaches had reached its boiling point ending up in 52 Americans being kidnapped from an U.S. embassy in Tehran.
Affleck portrays a CIA ‘exfiltration’ specialist named Tony Mendez who comes up with the just crazy enough to work plan to get some of the kidnapees out of harm’s way. He and a handful of fellow agents pose as a film crew, scouting locations in the area for a sci-fi film called, naturally, Argo.
In addition to Affleck, the film features Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Kyle Chandler, Rory Cochrane, Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall, Victor Garber, Chris Messina, and Michael Parks.
Argo is slated to be released sometime during Fall 2012.
