Variety is reporting that Ben Affleck will rewrite, direct, as well as star in the upcoming film “The Town” for Warner Brothers Studios. “The Town” is a the big-screen adaptation of “The Prince of Thieves” a novel by author Chuck Hogan concerning a thief, his crew, and his budding feelings for the manager of a local bank.

The project recently had director Adrian Lyne attached to it before the change, and would be based in Charlestown, Mass. Affleck is doing a rewrite on the most recent draft, written by Peter Craig and the author himself Chuck Hogan. Graham Kind of GK Films is producing the film. This will be Affleck’s third time in the director’s chair after last year’s critically-acclaimed “Gone Baby Gone”, and the 1993 short “I Killed My Lesbian Wife, Hung Her on a Meat Hook, and Now I Have a Three-Picture Deal at Disney”.

Coming up, Affleck next stars in the upcoming political thriller “State of Play” for Universal, set for release in April of 2009. Affleck will also appearing in the comedic “He’s Just Not That Into You”, based on the popular self-help book, released in 2004, for New Line Cinema, which is set to hit theaters February 6, 2009.

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By Costa Koutsoutis, source: (Variety.com)