A movie version of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic Jazz Age novel, The Great Gatsby, is currently under development with Australia director Baz Luhrmann. Ben Affleck (The Town) is rumored to be joining the all-star cast which includes Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception) as Jay Gatsby, Tobey Maguire (Brothers) as Nick Carroway, and Carey Mulligan (Never Let Me Go) as Daisy Fay Buchanan, according to Deadline. Affleck would portray Daisy’s husband, Tom Buchanan.
As seen in the original 1974 production starring Robert Redford as the titular character, Tom has an affair with a gas station owner’s wife, which ultimately contributes to the story’s great tragedy. IndieWIRE describes the character of Tom as “a millionaire cad and racist,” adding, “So basically, he’s the kind of a**hole which would be a change of pace for the actor [Affleck] who is usually in relatable everyman kind of roles.”
Affleck is “prepping for ‘Argo,’ a film about the 1979 Iran hostage crisis,” says Deadline, but it seems that the Oscar winner can make time in his schedule to lend his acting skills to the highly anticipated remake. In addition, it was also rumored that Bradley Cooper (Limitless) had originally pitched himself for the role of Tom, but Luhrmann preferred Affleck. Luhrmann is currently searching to fill the roles of Jordan Baker (Nick’s love interest), George Wilson (the gas station owner), and his wife, Myrtle. However, IMDB has English actress Hayley Atwell (The Duchess) rumored as Jordan Baker.
According to IndieWIRE, filming is “tentatively set to begin in August in Australia but with Luhrmann’s never-ending process in shaping the film before it rolls, it remains to be seen if that timeline will hold.” Not to mention that this movie is expected to also be in 3-D.
I’m all for seeing Affleck in a period piece as a bad guy, what about you? Are you excited to see all these big names recreate the timeless story?
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