A first look at actor Ben Affleck in his upcoming movie Argo has been released. Affleck, who is directing the thriller, is seen in a full beard and suited up as CIA agent Tony Mendez in the first photo to hit the web. Based on the true events of the 1979 Tehran hostage crisis, Affleck’s Mendez “creates a fake Hollywood production in order to fool Iranian terrorists into releasing a group of U.S. diplomats.”

Argo, that was penned by Chris Terrio, and stars actors Alan Arkin, Taylor Schilling, Kyle Chandler, Bryan Cranston, Nelson Franklin, and Tate Donovan. The flick has been filming since early September on location in Los Angeles, as well as Washington, DC and Istanbul. The movie is slated to hit theaters on September 14, 2012. Get the full synopsis on the movie below.

“On November 4, 1979, as the Iranian revolution reaches its boiling point, militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. But, in the midst of the chaos, six Americans manage to slip away and find refuge in the home of the Canadian ambassador. Knowing it is only a matter of time before the six are found out and likely killed, a CIA “exfiltration” specialist named Tony Mendez (Affleck) comes up with a risky plan to get them safely out of the country. A plan so incredible, it could only happen in the movies.”