Hollywood Golden-boy turned Gigli star Ben Affleck has announced details of his latest project – a television pilot called Resistance, which focuses on "a band of modern patriots trying to revive the Bill Of Rights."

The Bill Of Rights, you say? Why would that possibly need reviving? What happened to it – did George W lose it down the back of the sofa with his colouring pads and Tom Clancy audiobooks?

Oh, no – not in Affleck’s fevered imagination. Resistance – which Ben is all set to write and produce – is set in a nightmare future in which "a pair of devastating terror attacks leaves the United States divided into two separate nations."

Ben Affleck (DVDs) certainly has some tough competition. In the preposterous terrorist-TV stakes, the fabulously over-the-top 24 remains the daddy. The first ten minutes of the last series alone featured a train crash, a kidnapping plot and a mysterious Internet virus – all before Kiefer Sutherland even arrived on the scene, frowning and muttering and occasionally shooting someone, kind of like your grandad would be if he worked for the SAS.

24 remains the perfect post-pub viewing – switch off your brain and watch things explode. Almost like being in the U.S military, except with less dead civilians and everything.

How can Affleck’s action extravaganza top that?

What sort of television hero can Affleck create who can possibly match the Alpha-male genius of Jack Bauer (special skills: shouting, grunting and never needing a piss)? Christ – he might as well invent a character called John Q. Bastard, a bodybuilder-turned-marine-turned-hitman out to avenge the death of his family with a level of testosterone so high he bleeds shaving foam.

Oh, hang on. Wasn’t Affleck’s last big writing project Good Will Hunting – the fawning sentiment-shower in which beardy Robin Williams hugs a troubled young offender for ninety minutes straight?

Don’t go raising those hopes, kiddies.

Besides. There’s always Lost, isn’t there?

[story by C J Davies]