Will there be a Kotlc movie?

Is the Ben Affleck helmed adaptation of the Keeper Of The Lost Cities fantasy novel series happening? Affleck and Matt Damon famously broke through by writing and co-starring in the Oscar-winning drama Good Will Hunting. Many years later, Affleck would also prove his might as a director, helming the acclaimed thrillers Gone Baby Gone and Argo, which later won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Throughout his career, Affleck has maintained a good split between grounded, human dramas like The Way Back and more genre material.

From the cult Dean Koontz adaptation Phantoms from 1998 to Gone Girl and his stint as Batman in the DCEU - which he's set to reprise at least one more time with the upcoming Flash movie - he's not averse to more pulpy material. He hasn't really gotten a chance to explore this side as a director, however, though he was once in line to direct a movie version of Stephen King's epic The Stand. He was also, famously, set to write and direct a solo Batman movie, before his take was scrapped and Matt Reeves took the project in a new direction.

That could be set to change, as Affleck's name is linked to a movie based on the popular Keeper Of The Lost Cities fantasy books. Here's what we know about this adaptation thus far.

The Keeper Of The Lost Cities Story

EXCLUSIVE: Ben Affleck continues to build up his future dance card and looks to have found another possible directing job to add to his slate. Sources tell Deadline that Disney is in development on a live-action film based on the bestselling book series Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger, with Affleck attached to direct. He will also produce through his Pearl Street banner and adapt the script with Kate Gritmon. Madison Ainley will board as executive producer.

In the bestselling novel, a telepathic girl must figure out why she is the key to her brand-new world before the wrong person finds the answer first. When 12-year-old Sophie finally discovers where her secret telepathic ability comes from, she learns she’s actually not human but is from another world that exists side-by-side with ours.

There are over 2.5 million books in print and counting in the series, with Book 8.5 Unlocked (released in November) just named a Best Young Reader Book of 2020 by Barnes & Noble. It is also a 2020 Goodreads Choice Award semifinalist and a California Gold Medal Winner.

Affleck’s recent sports drama The Way Back has earned him some of the best reviews of his career on the acting front. Warner Bros is so impressed that the studio planning to do an awards campaign for his acclaimed performance this Oscar season.

He is repped by WME. Gritmon is repped by Kaplan Perrone, Paradigm and HWHM+F. Messenger is repped by Laura Rennert/Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Joel Vanderkloot/VanderKloot Law, CAA

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