Since Joe Mantell uttered the final words “Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown” in Chinatown, it has become one of the most iconic lines in movie history.
But it seems Ben Affleck wasn’t listening and has in fact not forgotten Chinatown, as he is set to direct The Big Goodbye about the making of classic 1974 film.
The film will be an adaptation of the Sam Wasson book The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood, which looked at the behind-the-scenes story for the 1974 noir classic starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway. The book detailed all aspects of the film, from Roman Polanski’s directing and its award-winning script by Robert Towne to its shock ending. So, if done right, this adaptation could give some deep insight into the making of the Hollywood classic.
The Big Goodbye will mark Ben Affleck’s return to directing after a four-year hiatus to focus on his acting, with his recent role in The Way Back earning him critical acclaim. It’s no secret that Affleck is as talented behind the camera as he is in front of it, thanks to movies like 2012’s Argo which won numerous Academy Awards including Best Picture. So it is safe to say this film should be in good hands. He is also set to write the screenplay for the adaptation.
Paramount, the studio that brought us Chinatown, will hold the reins for this film and the story is actually quite personal with many in the Paramount community. This is because the original film was one of the great deals of studio head Robert Evans who died in October of last year. It was films like Chinatown and The Godfather that propelled Paramount into being one of the biggest studios of all time and the majority of the credit lies with Evans, so chances are Paramount will want The Big Goodbye done right out of respect for the legend of the film industry.
But just because Ben Affleck is going back to directing doesn’t mean he won’t be appearing on the big screen anymore. As mentioned, Affleck can be seen in the 2020 film The Way Back and will be next seen in the upcoming erotic thriller Deep Water. He is also set to make an appearance in Ridley Scott’s upcoming film The Last Duel and is set to start filming that at the end of August.
Words by George Bell
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.