Ben Affleck Back in Play for Luhrmann’s ‘Great Gatsby’

Filmmakers always wanted Affleck to play Jay Gatsby, but scheduling conflicts initially got in the way

Ben Affleck is once again in talks to join Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of "The Great Gatsby," TheWrap has confirmed.

Filmmakers wanted Affleck to play Tom Buchanan from the start, but the actor-writer-director's schedule didn't seem to permit it, an individual with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap.

It's still not clear that Affleck's schedule will allow him to join Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan in director Luhrmann's take on F. Scott Fitzgerald's jazz-era tale.

Talks are in the extremely early stages.

The Warner Bros. movie is in preproduction now with an August start date. Affleck, meanwhile, is directing "Argo," a thriller about the CIA, Hollywood and hostages in Iran, beginning in September.

Affleck is repped by WME.

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