It’s crazy that we didn’t get more movies starring both Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. When those two broke big in the 90s, their friendship was the talk of the town. They loved each other AND they wrote a cracker-jack script that they both starred in. A dream come true! America loved Damon and Affleck and would have seen them in anything.
Obviously they’ve both been very successful since Good Will Hunting and have careers they should be proud of. But you can’t help but wish they spent more time on screen together. How about a family-friendly film? Maybe a superhero movie? A buddy comedy?
Or how about a brutally depressing tale of rape and murder set in the 14th century?
That seems to be the approach they’re taking, according to Deadline. They’re reporting that both Damon and Affleck are circling Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel. The script will be written by Damon, Affleck and Nicole Holofcener and would be Scott’s next directorial project. As Deadline says, the project is coming together quickly with damn near every studio in Hollywood eager to be a part of it.
So what’s the plot? Well, be prepared because it is HEAVY. Per Deadline:
“It’s a revenge story of two best friends. Damon and Affleck will play them. One goes to war and returns to discover the other has rape[d] the soldier’s wife. No one will believe the woman, and the soldier appeals to the king of France and says he wants to fight a duel to the death, and if the other guy wins, he is innocent. It becomes the last legally sanctioned duel in France.”
Okay, that definitely doesn’t sound like the buddy comedy I had suggested.
This feels very much like a Ridley Scott movie but it’s a bit surprising to see Damon and Affleck attached. They’re not bad actors — not by a long shot — but they haven’t taken on material like this before. It’s going to be intense, disturbing, violent, brutal. Those are words we can typically apply to a Scott production but this will be new territory for Affleck and Damon.
I feel emotionally drained just reading the plot to The Last Duel so I propose this: Damon, Affleck, Holofcener and Scott put this film together and promise they’ll give us a light-hearted, fun comedic romp next. Something silly that has Damon and Affleck racing cross-country to find a buried treasure. Maybe there can be some CGI characters!