Ben Affleck to play a heist-investigating detective in Alita: Battle Angel director Robert Rodriguez's thriller Hypnotic

Ben Affleck has been roped in to lead Robert Rodriguez's (Sin City and Alita: Battle Angel) next directorial, a thriller titled Hypnotic.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Affleck will play a detective investigating heists, who also gets sucked into a mystery involving his missing daughter and a top secret government program.

Hypnotic will go into production in April, 2020. The film reportedly has a budget of $60 million to $80 million.

Ben Affleck. Image from Twitter

The project will be backed by Jeff Robinov's Studio 8 and Mark Gill's Solstice Studios. Rodriguez and Robinov will produce the film together with Studio 8's Guy Danella and John Graham, adds The Hollywood Reporter.

“Working with Ben on his award-winning projects, including Argo and The Town, I have seen how his versatility and creativity has made him one of the most talented filmmakers both in front of and behind the camera. It’s very meaningful to be collaborating with Ben again on this uniquely riveting suspense thriller, and I know he and Robert will make a terrific film together," Robinov said in a statement.

Earlier this year, Affleck had announced that he would step down as Batman to make way for a new Caped Crusader. Affleck has been a part of DC Comics Extended Universe (DCEU) films like Justice League and Batman v. Superman. The superhero will now be played by Robert Pattinson.

The Oscar-winning actor was last seen in Triple Frontier, an action film also starring Charlie Hunnam, Oscar Isaac, Pedro Pascal, and Garrett Hedlund. His upcoming projects including a thriller Deep Water with Ana de Armas, which goes into production in November, as well as Ridley Scott's The Last Duel with Matt Damon and Adam Driver, writes Variety. He will also feature in and direct World War II caper Ghost Army, written by True Detective-fame Nic Pizzolatto. The Universal Pictures film is based on the book The Ghost Army of World War II, written by Rick Beyer and Elizabeth Sayles, as well as the documentary Ghost Army.