Ben Affleck Was Supposed to Direct "Homeland" Pilot

But there were scheduling conflicts.

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Here's a weird alternate future for you. While receiving a Career Achievement Award at the Casting Society of America’s annual Artios Awards earlier this week, Ben Affleck revealed a previously unknown tidbit of information about Showtime's award-winning, ratings juggernaut of a series, Homeland: He was supposed to direct the pilot.

Apparently, due to an agreement he made with wife Jennifer Garner about compromising when it came to their careers and their family, Affleck was forced to drop out of the commitment because Garner had the opportunity to do a film, and he had to stay with the kids. "I was sure nothing would happen with the show," Affleck joked during his speech. "Now I hate the fucking show. I’ve never seen it. I’m going to attach myself to 14 pilots this year."

Considering that Homeland just sweeped the recent 2012 Emmy Awards and, once again, achieved record-breaking ratings for Showtime just this past week, we don't blame him. But luckily, it seems like things did work out for the best - Homeland is a successful series, and Affleck went on to direct, produce, and star in Argo, which was great, and successful as well. Happy endings for all!

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[via The Hollywood Reporter]

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