By: Henry J. Fromage –

Today’s given us a wealth of Matt Damon/Ben Affleck/Casey Affleck news.  First off, we’d already heard that Ben was interested in adapting the true life story of Whitey Bulger (Jack Nicholson’s character’s inspiration in The Departed), but now we have a few details.  Ben would direct and possibly star as Bulger’s FBI handler after he’d become an informant, with Damon starring as Bulger and Casey playing his brother and partner in crime, Billy.  Terrence Winter (Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos) is writing the script.  This might be thrown off by a competing Bulger project getting done first, but here’s hoping this is the version we see.

It’ll fill that Southie hole I’ve had in my life ever since The Town

The other project they’re all collaborating on is Race to the South Pole, which would star Casey this time around as English explorer Robert Falcon Scott, who battled Norwegian Roald Amundsen to become the first man to reach the South Pole.  Spoiler alert: things don’t turn out so well for him, despite the awesome middle name.  Ben and Damon are only on board to produce this one, although a director hasn’t been chosen yet and Ben might end up filling that role as well.

Robert Falcon Scott {citation needed}

Speaking of doomed trailblazing Englishmen, Tom Hardy’s set to star as Everest climber George Mallory. Doug Liman (Fair Game) will direct a script by Sheldon Turner (Up in the Air).  Mallory is the man who climbed the world’s highest mountain “because it’s there” inspired a moribund post-WWI England with his quest, but, Spoiler Alert # 2: his body was recently recovered in 1999 after 75 years of mystery.  It’s unknown whether he actually reached the summit or not, although he verifiably got within a few hundred meters of it.

I’m goin’ out on a limb here and saying if Bane’s involved, in the film at least he’ll make it.