After scoring his first Oscar nomination earlier this year for "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," Casey Affleck is slowly figuring out his upcoming slate. According to Variety, the 32-year-old actor is teaming up with Ridley Scott for the new drama "The Kind One" for Warner Bros.

Based on the novel by Tom Epperson, the period 1930s flick will find Affleck playing Danny London, an amnesiac who awakens to discover he's a ruthless mobster with favored status in his Los Angeles-based gang. Of course, he doesn't feel like the notorious killer everyone thinks he is. Complicating matters are Danny's gangland boss, Bud Seitz (nicknamed "The Kind One"), who is rapidly losing power among the local crime syndicate, and Danny's infatuation with Seitz's girlfriend. Epperson is no stranger to the movie business, having written the thrillers "The Gift" and "One False Move."

So far, Scott has only committed to produce "Kind One," but it's safe to assume the door is open to direct if he so decides. In the meantime, he's putting the finishing touches on this fall's "Body of Lies," with Leonardo DiCaprio and longtime collaborator Russell Crowe.

With a screenplay for "Kind One" still in the works, it's hard to see production starting within the next year, so Affleck may still get that extended vacation he's been wanting.

Another Oscar favorite has a new project in development. Variety reports Halle Berry will star in the psychological drama "Frankie and Alice."

The thriller focuses on a young woman (Berry) who suffers from multiple personality disorder and is tormented by her racist white alter-personality.

A start date for the film is unclear, as is Berry's upcoming schedule after the birth of her daughter last month. She was supposed to reunite with her "Monster's Ball" co-star Billy Bob Thornton for the drama "Tulia" this spring, but with director John Singleton focusing his attention on next summer's big-screen adaptation of "The A-Team" instead, that flick is in limbo. Along with last fall's "Things We Lost in the Fire," at least Berry is hunting for more challenging projects than duds such as "Perfect Stranger."

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