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Ben Affleck and George Clooney are stepping back on to the same set, this time as director and actor. Per Deadline, Affleck is on board to star in Clooney’s next feature film. Sources told the outlet that Affleck is in negotiations to star in Amazon Studios’ adaptation of The Tender Bar. Affleck and Clooney worked together as producers on Argo, and considering it earned them an Academy Award for Best Picture, they obviously make a great team. The two actors have reportedly tried working together for years and once Clooney was set to direct the The Tender Bar, Affleck was high on Clooney’s list.
The Tender Bar is a coming of age tale based on a memoir written by J.R Moehringer. Moehringer recounts how is New York City disc jockey father walked out on him when he was a baby. When he stopped hearing his fathers voice on the radio he began to seek out father figures at the bar on the corner. There, he finds friendship from his Uncle Charlie and other adults, who take him to the beach, to ballgames, and into their circle.
The film was originally set for Sony with Ted Melfi directing. Sony put the film into turnaround when Melfi fell off, allowing Amazon to acquire it. Clooney and his producing partner Grant Heslov are producing the film through their Smokehouse Pictures banner. Ted Hope also is a producer. The script was written by Academy Award winner (The Departed) William Monahan. Clooney recently finished production on the Netflix film Midnight Sky.
It’s been a complete 180 for Affleck who was struggling with addiction as recently as 2018. The actor has been extremely busy and recently wrapped production on the Ridley Scott period piece The Last Duel and the New Regency thriller Deep Water (where he met the current love of his life, Ana De Armas). Affleck is also currently starring in Robert Rodriguez’s Hypnotic. Earlier this year Affleck starred as a recovering alcoholic in the sports drama The Way Back. Per Variety Affleck is also returning as Batman in Ezra Miller’s The Flash for Warner Bros. He is also on board to write and direct an upcoming adaptation of The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood.