The ’70s Come Alive In First Set Pics from Ben Affleck’s ‘Argo’

For the last few weeks Ben Affleck has been hurriedly assembling an eclectic cast for his next directorial effort, the historical thriller “Argo.” We’ve watched (and reported) as Affleck has brought together a wonderful cast of actors, including Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Bryan Cranston (in a role that forced him out of Ruben Fleischer‘s “Gangster Squad” and apparently “World War Z“), Kyle Chandler, Tate Donovan, Richard Kind and Michael Parks, who all appear alongside the talented director-star.

But today photos surfaced of Affleck and Arkin on the set of the true-life drama, which centers on the behind the scenes machinations of the Iran hostage crisis. Affleck plays a C.I.A. agent trying to extract a group of diplomats from the home of a Canadian ambassador by pretending that they were part of a crew filming a Hollywood movie. Arkin plays Lester Siegel, a former spy and current movie producer, who helps to legitimize the fake movie. As all of the photos (displayed on Collider via Celebuzz) can attest – the movie is set in 1979.

You can’t glean too much information on the plot based on the photos — other than, of course, how magnificent that head of hair looks on Affleck — but it’s good to know that “Argo” is up and running, which means we shouldn’t have to report on too many more people joining the cast. “Argo” will be released theatrically next year. We’re guessing when, exactly, will depend on how Oscar-bait-y it is, but we’re betting on a primo late 2012 release date.