Ben Affleck Returns To Directing, But For Disney
Ben Affleck is back in the director's chair.
This article is more than 2 years old
Ben Affleck is returning to a familiar position in the director’s chair, this time not for adult-oriented material but for Keeper of the Lost Cities, a movie being developed for Disney.
Ben Affleck’s Keeper of the Lost Cities is based on a series of novels by author Shannon Messenger that follows a young 12-year-old girl named Sophie Foster who carries a secret. She can hear the thoughts of everyone around her. She is called a Telepath and it is something she’s always had but never has been able to explain her talent. But everything she knew about her current world changes when she meets a mysterious young boy named Fitz. Fitz has Sophie’s same talents and helps her discover that there is a place she belongs and if she stays where she is currently, she is going to put her family in grave danger.
This makes the decision Sophie has an easy one as she follows Fitz to a new place, a new world, leaving behind her family and everything she knew. In her new world, there is much for Sophie to learn. There are new rules as well as new skills she will need to master if she is to make it in her new world. There are also secrets Sophie is harboring deep in her mind, secrets that will tell Sophie who she truly is and why she was set forth to be hidden among humans. The problem is, there are others who want her secrets and they are desperate to get them. So desperate that they would even kill for them.
Ben Affleck is no stranger to taking charge behind the camera. Keeper of the Lost Cities will mark the fifth time the prolific actor/producer will hold the title of director though it will be his first for Disney and the first time he will attempt a jump into the fantasy genre while tackling a film geared more toward our younger generation.
While Ben Affleck’s movie will center around the first novel in Messenger’s series, it is unknown if there will be more to come and if so, will Affleck continue his involvement. Messenger began her series back in 2012 and has published one novel a year since. They include Exile, Everblaze, Neverseen, Lodestar, Nightfall, Flashback, and Legacy. She has also published two short stories that go along with the series, one titled Bonus Keefe Story and the other called Unlocked. So, there is plenty of material at Affleck’s fingertips but to be sure, Disney is waiting to see what type of reaction they receive from this first movie in order to see how they proceed with the series. It has not been announced if this will be a feature film release or if it will follow many of the Disney properties and be released on their Disney+ streaming service.
Along with directing duties, Ben Affleck has attached himself as a producer through his Pearl Street company and he will also help shape the script along with screenwriter Kate Gritmon. This will be Gritmon’s first foray onto the writing side of Hollywood as her past experience has been relegated to assisting David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, creators of Game of Thrones, on all ten 2015 episodes.
As mentioned, Ben Affleck has vast experience behind the camera, his most recent helming coming on the 2016 crime thriller Live by Night. Affleck has also seen time behind the lens on the features Academy Award-winning picture Argo, The Town, and Gone Baby Gone. After he completes his work on Keeper of the Lost Cities, Affleck will return to the directors’ chair for two more projects, Ghost Army and Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution. Along with the many announced upcoming films he’ll be starring in, Affleck looks to have quite the full calendar.
