Ben Affleck Directing Iranian Hostage Crisis Film, George Clooney To Produce: Report

After rousing success with one hostage film, Ben Affleck may be set to take on the biggest hostage story of the 20th century.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Affleck, who had a surprise hit this summer when he directed and starred in the Boston bank heist movie 'The Town,' is in talks to direct a film called 'Argo,' based on the 1979-1981 hostage crisis in Tehran. The Iranian government took 52 Americans hostage, keeping them for 444 days.

The movie would be based on a Wired Magazine article titled, 'How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran,' which reported that the CIA created a lavish lie insisting that six US diplomats were actually on a film crew, enabling them to sneak home.

Joining Affleck on the project would be George Clooney, who is no stranger to Middle East-themed movies, executive producing and starring in 2005's 'Syriana.'

In January, Affleck was linked to a film called 'American Bullshit,' which, coincidentally, also is about 1979-1980 US politics, though this one would be about a scam on the domestic side of things.

He now can be seen in the economic family drama 'The Company Men,' another brick in his socio-political film wall.

For more, click over to The Hollywood Reporter.