In an industry where few things are certain, Ben Affleck had it pretty good at Warner Bros. Along with Clint Eastwood and Christopher Nolan, he was one of the few directors who had free reign at the studio, able to make sure the pictures he wanted with their full support, thanks to the success of “The Town” and “Argo.” Lately, however, that fruitful relationship has seemingly soured a bit. “Live By Night” was an expensive flop, earning a paltry $22 million worldwide, and then there’s the DC Films universe, where there are unending rumors that Affleck is ready to bail on playing Batman leaving Warner Bros. with a massive character to reboot. (And don’t forget, his script for “The Batman” was scrapped when Matt Reeves signed up to helm the film). Maybe the star and studio are taking a break?
Of course, we don’t actually know what’s going on between Affleck and WB, but sometimes actions speak louder than words. The filmmaker is headed over to Sony for his next directorial effort, where he’ll get behind the camera for “Red Platoon.” Based on the memoir by Clinton Romesha, the film will tell the true story of the dangerous battle between a small band of soldiers and Taliban fighters when Outpost Keating was raided. Here’s the book synopsis:
“‘It doesn’t get better.’ To us, that phrase nailed one of the essential truths, maybe even the essential truth, about being stuck at an outpost whose strategic and tactical vulnerabilities were so glaringly obvious to every soldier who had ever set foot in that place that the name itself—Keating—had become a kind of backhanded joke.”
In 2009, Clinton Romesha of Red Platoon and the rest of the Black Knight Troop were preparing to shut down Command Outpost (COP) Keating, the most remote and inaccessible in a string of bases built by the US military in Nuristan and Kunar in the hope of preventing Taliban insurgents from moving freely back and forth between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Three years after its construction, the army was finally ready to concede what the men on the ground had known immediately: it was simply too isolated and too dangerous to defend.
On October 3, 2009, after years of constant smaller attacks, the Taliban finally decided to throw everything they had at Keating. The ensuing fourteen-hour battle—and eventual victory—cost eight men their lives.
Red Platoon is the riveting firsthand account of the Battle of Keating, told by Romesha, who spearheaded both the defense of the outpost and the counterattack that drove the Taliban back beyond the wire and received the Medal of Honor for his actions.
Casey Affleck is being eyed to star in the film, marking his first collaboration with this brother since “Gone Baby Gone.” Adam Cozad (“Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,” “The Legend Of Tarzan“) has penned the script, but it’s expected to get a rewrite. No word yet on when this might film, but it certainly sounds like Affleck is making some big non-comic book plans…. [The Tracking Board]