Ben Affleck Steps Out Of ‘Focus’, Kristen Stewart Remains In Frame
Ben Affleck has withdrawn from Warner Bros.’s upcoming film Focus.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the “grifter rom-com” would have paired Affleck (Good Will Hunting, Argo) with Kristen Stewart (The Twilight Saga, On The Road).
Variety cites soures as saying “the actor very much wanted to do the film, the timing just couldn’t be worked out.”
Reportedly busy with writing, directing, producing, and starring in the upcoming Live by Night, The Stand, and an untitled Whitey Bulger project as well as promotion for the much acclaimed Argo, “insiders said an April start date on Focus just didn’t look possible for Affleck,” said Variety.
The shock news comes just days after Stewart told Huffington Post Entertainment that she and Affleck were confirmed for Focus.
“It’s a comedy,” the 22-year-old told Huffington Post. “I’m really excited about it. We start shooting in April.”
Helmed and written by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (Crazy, Stupid, Love), Focus’s plot tells the story of a a veteran con-man (previously Affleck) who shows a young female rookie (Stewart) the ropes, but their professional relationship becomes complicated when romance enters the picture.
Stewart is currently promoting the Walter Salles directed film adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s beat generation classic On The Road. Also co-starring Garrett Hedlund, Sam Riley, Viggo Mortensen, and Kirsten Dunst, the film comes out tomorrow on limited release in New York and Los Angeles before rolling out in wide release next year.
Warners is reportedly now looking for a replacement actor to fill the void left by Affleck in time for a spring start.
As for Affleck, yesterday the actor was in Washington testifying before the House Armed Services Committee to provide an “update on the evolving security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and implications for U.S. national security,” according to Variety.
As you do.
