Ben Affleck is set to play the lead in the big-screen adaptation of Kate Southwood's critically-acclaimed novel Falling to Earth.

The film will be produced by Bron Studio's Aaron L Gilbert, along with Affleck and Matt Damon's Pearl Street Films.

The book is set in the small town of Marah, Illinois. The story starts from March 18, 1925 when Marah is hit by the worst tornado in US history, leaving the entire city demolished. Hundreds are dead, injured and homeless and all structures and homes are destroyed.

However, there is one exception -- Paul Graves and his family -- who are left with everything they had -- home, business and children.

The story then follows the Graves family as they come to terms with their fate and the stark contrast of their neighbors.

"They watch helplessly as Marah tries to resurrect itself from the ruins and as their friends and neighbors begin to wonder, then resent, how one family, and only one, could be exempt from terrible misfortune. As the town begins to recover, the family miscalculates the growing hostility around them with tragic results," the book's description reads.

The actor has already wrapped up The Way Back, directed by Gavin O'Connor, which is scheduled to hit the theatres in March 2020.