It was nearly a month ago when Bradley Cooper pitched himself for the role of Tom Buchanan in Baz Luhrmann‘s “The Great Gatsby” but it looks like the director has somebody else in mind entirely.
Ben Affleck is now in talks for the role according to Deadline, and the actor/director looks like he’ll slot it in before taking on the Tehran hostage pic “Argo” for his next directing gig. In case you slept through English class, Tom Buchanan is Daisy’s husband, a millionaire cad and racist who cheats on her with Myrtle but who also grows jealous when the titular Gatsby reveals his love for her. So basically, he’s kind of an asshole which would be a change of pace for the actor who is usually in relatable everyman kind of roles.
If it all works out, Affleck would join Carey Mulligan, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire who are playing Daisy, Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway respectively in the film. Production on “The Great Gatsby” is tentatively set to begin in August in Australia but with Luhrmann’s never-ending process in shaping the film before it rolls, it remains to be seen if that timeline will hold.
