With three acclaimed directorial works already to his name, Ben Affleck (Argo) is continuing his winning streak behind the camera. His next work Live By Night is based off the novel by bestselling author Dennis Lehane (Shutter Island). Along with helming the film, Affleck also stars in the lead role as an initially low-level thief who eventually becomes a major figurehead in 1920s Boston. It seems right up his alley after having already done the highly-praised crime thriller The Town.
Live By Night was originally slated for an award-friendly release in October 2017, similar to Affleck’s Oscar-winning film Argo. But with the sizeable shifts that Warner Bros. seems to be making to their schedule, they have decided to push it up to this coming January. Now, this change could mean a few different things. Considering that the Oscars usually don’t air until late February or early March, the studio may be hoping to get the film awards attention for 2017 rather than 2018. Or, on a much darker note, they may be second-guessing the potential of the crime film. But looking at Affleck’s great track record, that’s probably unlikely.
So not only getting Live By Night all finished up, Affleck is also staying busy with other big projects. Having just starred in Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice as the Caped Crusader, he’s currently filming its sequel Justice League Part 1. Then adding in the Boston thriller, it seems like Affleck is in a bit of a sweet spot for the next few years. And we will just have to wait and see how drastic an impact the release date shift for Live By Night has on the film.
Live By Night opens in theaters on January 13, 2017.
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