The Accountant

Early details on The Accountant made the new film from Warrior director Gavin O’Connor sound like it was based on a graphic novel, even though it’s not: Ben Affleck stars as a white collar accountant who leads a double-life as a lethal assassin. So it wasn’t really surprising when WB announced plans to release a tie-in comic book for The Accountant. What is a bit surprising is the tone of the first trailer, which presents an intriguing and off-kilter drama about a man struggling with a vague mental disorder.

If you were to assemble a list of the busiest guys in the film business, Ben Affleck would probably being hanging out near the top. As a writer, producer, director, and actor, he bounces around the Hollywood spectrum, dividing his time between massive blockbusters and smaller, more personal projects. Eventually, something had to give. Two of Affleck’s upcoming movies, Live by Night and The Accountant, have been delayed to make room for the star to write and direct the Batman vs. Superman spinoff, The Batman.

Ben Affleck knows a thing or two about playing comic-book characters onscreen. Ten years ago, he played Daredevil for Fox; next spring, he’ll tackle the role of Batman for Warner Bros. in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Before he’s seen as Bruce Wayne though, Affleck will first be seen in the Warner Bros. thriller The Accountant, as “a mild-mannered accountant who moonlights as a lethal assassin.” It’s not based on a comic book (it’s from an original script by Bill Dubuque) but it sort of sounds like one, right? Apparently the folks at Warners agreed, and as revealed at a panel this morning at Comic-Con, it’s going to become one.