Ben Affleck has bowed out as the director of Warner Bros.’ anticipated adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand (although it’s not totally clear he was ever officially on board), The Hollywood Reporter writes.Crazy Heart director Scott Cooper is in talks to replace Affleck, with a ticking clock on Warner before the rights apparently will lapse.THR put the blame for Affleck’s change of plans on a combination of his upcoming film Gone Girl and prepping to play Batman in 2015’s Man of Steel sequel. Cooper, in an interesting twist, is directing both former Batman Christian Bale and Affleck’s brother Casey in his upcoming film Out of the Furnace, which also stars Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Zoe Saldana. The writer/director is best known for Crazy Heart, for which Jeff Bridges won an Academy Award.
