Ben Affleck is the big man in '"The Town"

Ben Affleck waves at the premiere of ''Gone Baby Gone'' at the Bruin theatre in Los Angeles October 8, 2007.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Ben Affleck is in negotiations to direct, rewrite and star in "The Town," a dark heist-romance hybrid.

The Warner Bros. project involves a high-tension love triangle between a female bank manager, a longtime thief who stole more than her heart and an equally smitten FBI agent trying to bust the crook and his gang before they can pull another big job. It is based on Chuck Hogan's novel "Prince of Thieves."

Affleck directed his similarly toned first film, "Gone Baby Gone," last year. He co-wrote that drama, adapted from a Dennis Lehane novel, with Aaron Stockard. He won an Oscar in 1998 for writing "Good Will Hunting" with Matt Damon.

As an actor, Affleck has the comedy "He's Just Not That Into You" coming out in February via New Line and the political thriller "State of Play" due in April from Universal. He is filming Mike Judge's new comedy "Extract."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter