With a relatively strong performance both in and by his more recent films, Ben Affleck is now in line to act in and direct a retelling of one of the biggest scandals the New York Yankees has ever endured. And Matt Damon is looking to get on board too.Back in 1973, Yankees team-mates Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich stunned the team’s vast army of fans when they calmly disclosed during Spring Training they were sharing their wives. This new movie, ‘The Trade’ will retell that story.
Both Ben and fellow Oscar winner, Matt are die-hard Red Sox fans and thus hate the Yankees, but they’ve been drawn to this project for ages. Ben now wants to direct and maybe play Fritz, while Matt would be Kekich.
And apart from the lure of the dug-out the appeal for both stars is the screenwriter – Dave Mandel. Best known for his scalpel-sharp writing on ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ Dave has been waiting to start writing for years, but getting the rights to the story was tricky so he’s only just finished a draft. Ben and Matt read it…and were hooked.
Ben’s good friend from 1993’s ‘Dazed and Confused.’ Richard Linklater was keen to direct, but Deadline says Ben now wants to drive the movie and act. His first time as Director – ‘Gone Baby Gone,’ was liked by the critics and his second, ‘The Town’ [which he co-wrote and directed] was also a modest success. So this might actually work.
And consider this – the last time Ben and Matt got involved in writing and acting together the result was 1997’s ‘Good Will Hunting.’ And that won two Oscars and sixteen other awards.
Could they do that again with this movie? Let’s hear your views? Especially you Yankees fans….
