Follow us on Google News
Get the latest updates directly in your Google News feed
Shifting to directing kickstarted a new chapter in Ben Affleck’s career back in the 2000s, as he expressed that working behind the lens made him a better actor. Released in 2007,Gone Baby Gonehas stood the test of time and is revisited fondly by fans, as it brought Affleck’s filmmaking skills to the light, and the latter years would witness him taking a Golden Globe home for Best Director.
But getting the project started was not an easy task from the get-go, as no one was interested in adapting Dennis Lehane’s work, which the film was based on until Clint Eastwood entered the story.
Also read:“We fell prey to this idea”: Not Leaving Batman, Ben Affleck Took a Major Decision With Best Friend Matt Damon That Risked Both Their Careers After Early Success With Robin Williams
Mystic River’s Success Paved the Way for Ben Affleck’sGone Baby Gone
For a while, no one was on board adapting Dennis Lehane’s novels untilClint Eastwooddecided to step into the matter, adapting Lehane’sMystic Riverfor the big screens. As the story goes, the film did well at the box office and even earned six Oscar nominations while securing wins for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. Considering Affleck was a fan of Lehane’s work, the success ofMystic Riverelevated his desire to adapt one of his dark thriller,Gone Baby Gone. Affleck toldComingSoon.net,
“I was hoping to do some over the next six months. I’m adapting a Dennis Lehane novel, which nobody was all that interested in. Then ‘Mystic River’ certainly did alright and it’ll probably win best picture or whatever, so I’m excited. I think that’ll be the first thing. It’s an interesting process trying to adapt someone else’s story, but it’s like in a genre and in a place – it’s set in Boston, something I really understand and am comfortable with, so we will see.”
Although the movie didn’t compete withMystic River‘s box office numbers, making $34.6 million from its $19 million budget, the film did score high among critics, which Affleck wasn’t accepting.
Also read:Matt Damon May Never Agree to Do One Particular Movie With Ben Affleck Even If Hollywood Offers Him Millions of Dollars
Ben Affleck Wasn’t Optimistic AboutGone Baby Gone’s Critical Reception
The early 2000s witnessed Affleck landing in some hot waters, following his initial split-up with Jennifer Lopez and a string of critically bombed movies, which resulted in him being constantly ridiculed by the media. This convincedBen Affleckthat his directorial debut might not be received well among critics, but the actor couldn’t have been more wrong. He toldGQ,
“I just assumed it would be received poorly because it seemed the way that people wanted to talk about me,”Affleck said.“Nobody went to the movie, but we got pretty decent reviews.”
Also read:“It runs in my family, generations back”: Daniel Radcliffe Shares One Tragic Chronic Disease With Ben Affleck That Nearly Ruined His Life While Filming Harry Potter
Sitting at an impressive 94% at the Tomatometer, things couldn’t have worked out better for his first major directing project, and the actor would double down working behind the lens in the following years.
Gone Baby Goneis available to stream on Paramount Plus.
Source:Comingsoon.net
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2543
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
