While there are two Agatha Christie films already in the works, a third has just been announced, and it’s got quite the talent behind the camera. Witness For The Prosecution, a Christie short story that subsequently became a play and film in 1957, will be adapted by 20th Century Fox with Ben Affleck at the helm, Deadline reports. Between his role in the upcoming The Accountant, his recently wrapped Live by Night, and his upcoming Batfleck duel jobs (directing + starring), Affleck will now direct, star in, and produce this Christie story off a script by Christopher Keyser. Matt Damon, Jennifer Todd, and the Agatha Christie estate will also produce the picture which concerns a lawyer tasked with representing a man accused of murdering a widow, and the tangling, twisting story that unfurls because of it.
In related news, Elle Fanning recently spoke about her work with Affleck on Live By Night in an interview with WWD, and hinted we may see it sooner than expected. The film is set in the Prohibition era, where Fanning plays an aspiring actress in Boston, and was set for a January 17th, 2017 release by Warner Bros. However, she says, “That’s coming out in December, at the end of this year.” So, expect another late awards contender sneaking into the race.
When asked about her work with her director/co-star, the 18-year-old first praised his multi-faceted capabilities. “That was incredible because [Ben] wrote it, he directed it and he’s in it.” Due to this, she was also intimidated. “I had scenes with the director, ya know?” She states, going on to say that she’d like to try her own hand in directing, “I would love to direct, so it was cool to see how he works.” Read the full interview here, where Fanning also discusses being in the industry for so long, despite her young age.
Ahead of Affleck’s Witness For the Prosecution remake, check out the trailer for Billy Wilder‘s version below, which preceded a TV version in 1982.