Update: Michelle Williams has joined the cast, playing Affleck’s wife, and Damon has stayed on only as a producer, THR reports.
After the legal headache that caused Kenneth Lonergan‘s Margaret to be both (massively) delayed and have a theatrical release that was not unlike a trash dump for Fox Searchlight, hopefully better things are in store for his follow-up, Manchester-by-the-Sea. Once set to star Matt Damon, the actor has also committed to Ridley Scott‘s The Martian, Alexander Payne‘s Downsizing, and another Bourne with Paul Greengrass, which means he now has to bow out.
Thankfully his exit hasn’t seemed to cause a hiccup, as his (very worthy) replacement has already been set. Speaking to The Boston Globe, Casey Affleck has confirmed he’ll take the lead. When revealing his involvement, he jokingly said, “Yeah, but Matt can’t do it, and, you know, if Matt’s not in it, it’ll be good.” He’ll take the role of a plumber who returns home after news of his brother’s passing arrives. He then must take care of his nephew of 16 years all while a tragedy from his past bubbles to the surface.
Said to be in the vein of Lonergan’s excellent You Can Count On Me, production will be kicking off shortly and it’s certainly one of our most-anticipated films of the year. Meanwhile, Affleck can currently be seen in Interstellar and has taken part in the upcoming Triple Nine and Finest Hours.
Are you looking forward to Affleck leading the project?