Ben Affleck to Direct TV Pilot 'The Middle Man'

No matter where Ben Affleck's career take him, his hometown of Boston will never be too far away. His first two efforts behind the camera, Gone Baby Gone and The Town, were set in Beantown and the same goes for his next film, Live By Night. And so it continues as Affleck turns his attention to the small screen for the very first time.

Affleck will direct and exec-produce a pilot for The Middle Man, a Boston-set crime drama from writer and showrunner Glenn Gordon Caron. Set in the 1960s, the show will follow FBI agent Rudy MacAteer who sets out to bring down the Italian mafia. His rule-bending tactics alongside Irish-American informant Mickey Flood will inadvertently give rise to the Irish mob.

A pilot has already been ordered up by Fox, and casting is expecting to begin soon. Affleck has been involved with the project for some time, first coming across it while working on The Town, so this isn't a complete surprise to see him on board. But clearly this is still a new venture for him, and it sounds like one he's going to be investing a little time in, when he's not busy dressing up as Batman. [Variety]