Los Angeles, Nov 22 (IANS): Actor Ben Affleck will direct and produce the historical drama titled "King Leopold's Ghost", set in the early 20th century in the Congo.

Affleck will produce via his Pearl Street Films banner, alongside Martin Scorsese who will produce via his Sikelia Productions banner.

Farhad Safinia is attached to write the script, inspired by Adam Hochschild's best-selling book about Leopold II of Belgium's plunder in the Congo and the Congolese who defied him and fought back, reports variety.com.

The struggle sparked an unlikely alliance between a black American missionary, an English investigative journalist and an Irish spy, resulting in one of the first human rights movements in history.

Affleck starred in and directed "Argo" and "The Town".

His key leading roles include "Justice League", "The Accountant", "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice", "Gone Girl" and the upcoming "The Way Back." He's also a co-founder of the Eastern Congo Initiative, which was launched in 2010 an advocacy and grant-making initiative for the people of eastern Congo.