Ben Affleck’s directorial repertoire is growing a little bit bigger with an upcoming adaptation of Shannon Messenger’s bestselling Keeper of the Lost Cities book series that the actor will be helming for Disney. Affleck will also produce the film through Pearl Street and adapt the script with Kate Gritmon. 

The story of the novel centers around a telepathic twelve-year-old girl named Sophie who must figure out why she’s the key to her brand new world before the wrong person finds the answers first. When she discovers where her secret abilities come from, she realizes that she’s not actually from our world, but another that exists side-by-side with ours. 

The book was just recently named Best Young Reader Book of 2020 by Barnes & Noble. It was also a 2020 Goodreads Choice Award semi-finalist, a California Gold Medal Winner and has over 2.5 million copies currently in print. 

Affleck’s performance in his last film, The Way Back, earned him some of the best reviews of his career, and Warner Bros was so impressed that the studio is planning to do an awards campaign for it this Oscar season. In 2012, Affleck directed Argo, which received high praise from critics and audiences. The film went on to win best picture at the 2013 Academy Awards.