It looks like Crazy, Stupid, Love directors Glenn Ficarra and John Reque will now be looking for a new male lead in their next film, Focus. Variety is reporting the story this afternoon that Ben Affleck has departed the film about a veteran grifter who teams with a girl who is new to the life. That second character is to be played by Kristen Stewart who just joined the project less than two weeks ago.
Of course, tabloid speculation might run rampant about how the actor was not wanting to work with Stewart, but odds are that the tandem of Ficarra and Reque would not have asked the actress on board without Affleck’s say so. Having said that, we have no choice but to buy into the typical Hollywood scapegoat of ‘the timing did not work out.’
The A-list director is now riding a wave of newfound popularity following the success of Argo which hit theaters in October and still continues to play. His next projects include Live by Night, The Stand, and a Whitey Bulger pic. With all that coming down the pipe, an April start date for Focus was not in the cards especially considering he splits movie and parenting commitments with his wife Jennifer Garner by taking turns.