Will Ben Affleck "wear his cockiness like an ironic T-shirt" in screen adaptation of Gone Girl?

Word is that David Fincher wants Ben Affleck as Nick for the thriller, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Flynn must be in agreement; she and Fincher are writing the adaptation together.  
According to Deadline, Affleck will delay directing the adaptation of Dennis Lehane's Live By Night for Warner Bros to take the role. Told you about that here.

So does Ben fit with your picture of the former writer who, along with his New York-loving wife moves back to Missouri? And then, you know, s@#t happens. All kinds of s@#t.




Remember how Amy describes Nick when she first meets him ?

"..., he wears his cockiness like an ironic T-shirt, but it fits him better. He is the kind of guy who carries himself like he gets laid a lot, a guy who likes women, a guy who would actually fuck me properly" Gone Girl, p.24

"Mainly, I will admit, I smile because he's gorgeous. Distractingly gorgeous, the kind of looks that make your eyes pinwheel, that make you want to just address the elephant - "You know you're gorgeous, right?" - and move on with the conversation. I bet dudes hate him: He looks like the rich-boy villain in an 80's teen movie - the one who  bullies the sensitive misfit, the one who will end up with a pie in the puss, the whipped cream wilting his upturned collar as everyone in the cafeteria cheers" Gone Girl, p. 25

But she also tells us that he's not that guy; he's a regular guy, he's funny and he's nice.  And he sounds sexy - my opinion.

"He talks to me in his river-wavy Missouri accent: he was born and raised outside Hannibal"   and    "he informs me that Missoura is a magical place, the most beautiful in the world, no state more glorious. His eyes are mischievous, his lashes are long. I can see what he looked like as a boy."

The river-wavy accent is a little scary - it is just far too easy for actors to overdo the drawl and twang of southern accents - and Affleck - who I respect and adore - strikes me as being a tad too old -he's forty one and Nick is only 34! According to the L.A. Times I'm not alone with preferring a younger Nick; they say the results of an informal poll show readers prefer Ryan Gosling (YES!) with Jake Gyllenhaal a close second; both are 32. Ah well, there's still a chance Affleck will turn it down BUT no way Gyllenhaal would ever be cast; Fincher and Gyllenhaal did NOT get along on Zodiac. In fact, their discord has been written up in many a movie site; this piece in GAWKER kind of sums it up.

And what about Amy, that wonderful wife? There's no new news but I shared back in March that Reese Witherspoon, originally on-board to star via her own production company, Pacific Standard, had decided not to take on the role of Nick's wife, Amy Dunne. I wonder if Ben's casting will have an impact on Reese's decision? Here are the current front-runners for the job, although the Times says Portman is no longer on the short list. And no Jessica Chastain at all. Maybe not quite 'pretty' enough if you consider these classic beauties that Fincher is or was looking at.

Emily Mortimer

Charlize Theron

Natalie Portman

UPDATE: Who will play Amy Dunne? None of the above; Rosamund Pike is that Gone Girl

ALL THE GONE GIRL POSTS

See Ben Affleck as Nick in first official image released by 20th Century Fox