Just when Ben Affleck’s directing career began to take off, he landed a part in a little film you may have heard of called Batman vs. Superman. As it turns out, the time Affleck will be spending in the Batsuit has forced Warner Bros. to push the release date of his next directorial effort, Live By Night, from its Christmas 2015 release date to October 7th, 2016.
This news comes as no surprise, considering it would have been virtually impossible for Affleck to play Batman and then attempt to star in and direct Live By Night in time for a 2015 release date. Besides, if they had kept the original date, the film would have been rushed and put together in a haste, so it’s better that they have more breathing room now.
Live By Night is a crime thriller based on Dennis Lehane’s novel of the same name, and tells the story of Joe Coughlin, the son of a cop who finds himself slipping into a life of organized crime. As he falls further into the lifestyle, “he journeys from Tampa to Cuba, encounters various dames, lowlifes and more in a tale of revenge and redemption.”
The project sounds like a great fit for Affleck, and will mark his second time working off of one of Lehane’s novels. The first, Gone Baby Gone, was a strong debut that launched his surprising directorial career. It’s a bit sad to hear that we’ll have to endure a ten-month delay to see him step back behind the camera again, but judging by Affleck’s track record thus far, I’d wager a guess that Live by Night will be well worth the wait.