Ben Affleck to star as Leo DiCaprio’s nemesis in The Great Gatsby?

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Ben Affleck has a decision to make. He can continue his career as a director, which has brought him more critical acclaim than his career as an actor ever did, or he can pursue an acting gig in a potentially Oscar-worthy film with some fellow A-listers.

Affleck is in talks to co-star with Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan in Baz Luhrmann’s THE GREAT GATSBY, which is all well and good except the shoot conflicts with when Affleck planned on filming ARGO, his next directorial effort.

The good news is that both projects are set up at Warner Bros. who are eager to have Affleck avoid any scheduling conflicts with either project. Currrently, GATSBY is set to shoot in Australia in August while Affleck was prepping towards a September start for his film.

Should Affleck be able to make GATSBY, which seems likely considering that’s further along than his own film, he would star as Tom Buchanan, the millionaire husband of Daisy Buchanan (Mulligan) and nemesis of Jay Gatsby (DiCaprio) who loves Daisy. Maguire is set to star as Nick Carraway, Gatsby’s neighbor and the narrator of the film.

It’s been a while since Affleck played an asshole, something he does well (I mean that as a compliment), and it would be nice to see what he can do with a strong director guiding him. I’d love for both films to be able to work out (I’m far more interested in Affleck’s burgeoning directing career) so we’ll keep our eyes on this situation.