Ben Affleck to star in, direct World War II drama Ghost Army written by True Detective's Nic Pizzolatto

Ben Affleck is set to feature in and direct World War II caper Ghost Army.

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.

Ben Affleck. Image from Twitter/@crossmaker316

According to Variety, it is currently unclear when the movie will go into production as it is still in development.

Affleck is expected to rework the screenplay. The latest script was written by True Detective showrunner Nic Pizzolatto with an earlier draft by Henry Gayden.

The film tells the true story of a squadron of recruits from art schools, advertisement agencies and other creative businesses who were tasked with fooling the Nazis into thinking the US had larger troop numbers than it actually did.

The book follows a group of young GIs, including fashion designer Bill Blass, painter Ellsworth Kelly, artist Arthur Singer, photographer Art Kane, and others, who conduct a secret mission. Their job was to create a travelling road show of deception, armed with inflatable tanks and sound-effects records.

Affleck is also attached to produce, alongside Andrew Lazar.

The actor had been regarding the project for some time, but a busy schedule shooting Warner Bros' basketball drama Torrance and Netflix's The Last Thing He Wanted delayed the commitment.