Gone Girl star Ben Affleck stopped Argo follow up to star in David Fincher thriller

The Hollywood star was desperate to take on the role of Nick Dunne

Nick Dunne, played by Ben Affleck, finds himself at the centre of a media storm when his wife is reported missing and assumed dead (Fox)

Ben Affleck was so determined to star in Gone Girl that he pushed back production on his latest film to work on the thriller, according to director David Fincher.

The actor was working on Live by Night, his first project in the director’s chair since 2012’s Oscar-winning Argo, but he put it aside to star in Fincher’s film.

Fincher says that the actor was determined to get the role of tormented husband Nick Dunne, who is hounded by the media after his wife goes missing.

Following some initial uncertainty over Affleck’s huge profile, Fincher gave the 42-year-old star the role due to his experiences with the media.

"Ben went through a period of his life where he was fodder; I guess he still is in a weird way. And you wonder, ‘When will they let him off?’ But it’s really good to have somebody who understands how nutty that is,” Fincher told The Guardian.

Gone Girl has been adapted from the best-selling novel by former journalist Gillian Flynn and is a tale of intrigue and domestic discord. Affleck stars opposite British actress Rosamund Pike, who plays his wife Amy, and Neil Patrick Harris.

Audiences will next see the actor as the caped crusader in the superhero epic Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which is out next year.

He is now back working on Live by Night, which he also wrote and stars in. The prohibition period drama is based on Dennis Lehane’s novel and delves into the shady world of organised crime.

This is not the first time Affleck has taken on the role of a man dogged by the media. In 2009 he starred in the political thriller State of Play in which he played Congressman Stephen Collins, who is investigated following the apparent suicide of his mistress.

'Gone Girl 'is released in the UK on 2 October and in the US on 3 October.