Deadline reports that 20th Century Fox is near to closing a deal with Ben Affleck for the Justice League star to direct and appear in a big screen adaptation of Witness for the Prosecution. Based on the short story by Agatha Christie, Christopher Keyser (Tyrant) is writing the screenplay and Matt Damon is among the producers bringing it to the big screen.

Billy Wilder helmed the version which came out in 1957, and after that got six Oscar nominations, the pressure is on Affleck to deliver something special here. Given his work on the likes of The Town and Argo though, chances are this will definitely be something special.

In Witness for the Prosecution, the affable Leonard Vole is being tried for the murder of a wealthy woman, and legendary lawyer Sir Wilfrid Robarts has chosen to represent him. Unfortunately, Leonard’s alibi depends on the testimony of his callous wife, Christine, who, after the discovery of a legal loophole, makes the shocking decision to appear in court against him. To Sir Wilfrid’s surprise, this is only the first in a series of puzzling revelations and reversals. The trade makes no mention of who exactly Affleck will be playing here.

The actor/director recently finished work on Live By Night and is currently shooting Zack Snyder’s Justice League (which he’s also executive producing). The filmmaker is also expected to direct a solo outing for Batman, so when exactly Witness for the Prosecution will happens remains to be seen. It could come before The Batman, but that remains to be seen.