Affleck casts first actor for his political drama.
Ben Affleck’s upcoming Tehran hostage crisis drama ‘Argo’ has tapped Alan Arkin (‘City Island,’ ‘Little Miss Sunshine’) as the first cast member, reports Variety. Arkin will be playing an O.S.S. veteran now working as a Hollywood producer, described as equal parts bookie and rabbi.
Adapted from Joshuah Bearman’s April 2007 Wired magazine article, titled “How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue American from Tehran” by Chris Terrio, the story tells how the CIA and Canadian government teamed up to rescue six U.S. diplomats who’d been taken hostage at the American embassy by a group of Iranians in 1979 by pretending that they were part of a Hollywood film crew scouting a movie called ‘Argo.’
George Clooney and Grant Heslov are producing under their Smoke House banner. David Klawans (‘Nacho Libre’) is also on board to produce.