Ben Affleck objectively decided that he was the best man to star in his next directing project, Argo. He will play Tony Mendez, the CIA operative tasked with extracting six American hostages from Iran in 1979. He thought it was the smart move because he was going to be near those locations anyway, directing everyone for that movie. (Variety)

Nicole Kidman will be joining Lee Daniels’ The Paperboy as a woman who develops a penpal relationship with a man on death row. She will be replacing Sofia Vergara, but considering the timing of Tobey Maguire‘s departure from the project last week, let’s all just pretend that she’ll be filling in for him. It’s funnier that way and not altogether improbable. (THR)

Rosario Dawson will be starring in an indie drama with a decidedly non-indie cast. Fire with Fire, the story of a man who enters the witness protection program, only to lash out against the men threatening him will also star Bruce Willis, Quentin “Rampage” Jackson, Josh Duhamel, 50 Cent, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Vinnie Jones. The indie spirit is alive and well, folks. (Variety)

Finally, David Strathairn will join Steven Spielberg‘s star-studded Lincoln, hitting theaters just in time to qualify for the 2013 Oscars. He will play Secretary of State William Seward to Daniel Day-Lewis‘ Honest Abe. Sally Field will also star as Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd. (Deadline)

In the film, Weisz plays a total narco who runs afoul of private contractors in post-war Bosnia. Much like in Letha Weapon 2, the bad guys hide behind their diplomatic immunity while doing all manner of illegal activity. Will Weisz live long enough to go all Murtaugh on their asses? She’d better. She’s getting too old for this shit.