Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have re-teamed to launch a new studio named Artists Equity with the aim to produce quality commercial films for streaming.
Speaking at the New York Times‘ DealBook Summit in New York this week, Affleck says their goal is to craft streaming films that “people remember 20 years later” as opposed to the “assembly line process” of Netflix and other streamers. He adds:
There’s a bigger audience for action movies than there is for small dramas – I get that. Certain genres play more broadly, and you can’t not be mindful of that. But let’s do a good one, let’s surprise the audience, let’s make them care about it.”
In selling the new venture to the audience, Artists Equity’s investor partner Gerry Cardinale spoke about the company’s goals:
“If you ask Reed Hastings [Netflix CEO] … I’m sure there’s some risk in that, and I’m sure they had a great strategy, but I would have said, ‘How are we going to make 50 great movies?! How is that possible?.
There’s no committee big enough. There aren’t enough – you just can’t do it. It’s a thing that requires attention and dedication, and work and resists the assembly line process. Scott Stuber is a really talented, smart guy who I really like… but it’s an impossible job.”
The company will instead produce fewer projects of higher quality and anticipates three projects next year ahead of at least five per year annually later on. Cardinale says: “The first wave of streaming was about volume. The second wave is about quality”.
One of next year’s titles will be the Affleck-directed film about the creation of the Air Jordan brand. Damon stars in the film, which is being produced by Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports, and Mandalay Pictures.
Source: Deadline
