With the upcoming release of Air, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s blockbuster partnership is back in the spotlight once again. The iconic duo of multi-hyphenates have worked together for years, beginning with their Oscar-winning work on the screenplay for Good Will Hunting. While the film has become beloved in the decades that have followed, there has yet to be any sort of follow-up — and according to Affleck, that is intentional. In a recent interview with Variety, Affleck confirmed that he and Damon were pitched a sequel for Good Will Hunting, but it isn’t a good enough idea to actually make a reality.
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“It’s not [a sequel] we’re gonna pursue,” Affleck explained. “I mean, it’s an idea of what might happen…. It’s not a sequel we’re gonna pursue.”
What are Ben Affleck’s new movies?
In addition to Air, Affleck is poised to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne / Batman in this summer’s The Flash movie, and potentially a cameo appearance in this year’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom as well. As Affleck explained in a 2021 interview, his relationship with franchise films has definitely evolved over the years.
“It’s funny because I was just talking to Paul the other day, Paul Thomas Anderson — I saw Licorice Pizza and it’s amazing — And we were watching a movie, and he was kind like, ‘Yeah. At first, I heard about the movie. And then it was like I heard this whole other wave,’” Affleck explained in a 2021 interview. “So, I feel like there is a rebirth to it, and I think that’s due to the streaming thing. You may have to adapt to the changing times. I mean, this business has changed, right? You had vaudeville, silent movies, talkies, color. Then there was television. It’s continued to evolve and change.”
“I had this with The Way Back. No one was going to go see that movie in the theater,” Affleck continued. “I could just feel it. I love the movie. It’s a good drama. That audience was like, ‘We want to stream it. We’re not going to rush out and see it.’ People were rushing out to see movies that first weekend? The currency is mostly like young people who just want to get out of the house. And there is a big and growing audience for these interesting adult dramas. But that audience now has been acculturated, especially with COVID and with the streamers and the quality and they want to watch it home. They don’t care. They want to be able to pause it, take a leak, watch the rest tomorrow. And you can get a good 65-inch flat screen for $180 at Walmart. It’s kind of democratized that access because it’s not the 11-inch black and white that I had when I was a kid.”
What do you think of Affleck’s comments about Good Will Hunting 2? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
