Ben Affleck Tapped To Direct Bunker Hill Film

A new book about the Battle of Bunker Hill could soon be a film—possibly one directed by Ben Affleck.

Warner Bros. this week closed a six-figure deal for the screen rights to Nathaniel Philbrick’s new history book, “Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, a Revolution,” deadline.com reports.

Set to release April 30, the book discusses Boston’s place in history in 1775 and promises “an in-depth look at the bloodiest battle of the Revolution and the blisteringly real origins of America,” according to the author’s website.

The book features several characters from history, including Paul Revere, George Washington, British General Thomas Gage and the man who emerges as the “on-the-ground leader of the Patriot cause,” a 33-year-old physician named Joseph Warren, according to Philbrick’s site.

Pearl Street Films, the company Affleck started in 2012 with Matt Damon, which is part of the Warner Bros. family, recently acquired rights to make a film version of Philbrick’s book. Deadline.com reports that Affleck, who is currently working on a film adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s novel, “Live By Night,” will turn the Bunker Hill project over to “Argo” screenwriter Chris Terrio—making this a major film project.

Affleck’s film “Argo” recently won the Oscar for best picture. Having grown up in the Boston area, Affleck has previously directed films about the city, including a film adaptation of Lehane’s “Gone Baby Gone” (2007) and “The Town” (2010), which focuses specifically on Charlestown.