Matt Damon and Ben Affleck Launch New Production Company

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are embarking on a new adventure together. The two life-long friends are launching a new production company, Artists Equity.

Damon and Affleck, along with Gerry Cardinale, have unveiled plans for the company, which will seek to create “entrepreneurial partnerships” with filmmakers and aims to empower creative vision and “broaden access to profit participation”.

Also involved in the venture is RedBird Capital Partners, who are making “a significant financial commitment in launching the company” and will be “providing strategic capital and operational expertise to accelerate its development and production pipeline”, an announcement reveals.

Ben Affleck’s Statement

“Artists Equity was conceived from Matt’s and my longtime passion for the art of storytelling and our shared desire to help creators deliver on their vision, as we have been fortunate to do throughout our careers.” Affleck , who will serve as Chief Executive Officer of Artists Equity, says.

“The entertainment industry is defined by great partnerships – writers, directors, producers, crew, actors – and throughout my career I have learned that collaboration is what drives success. Our goal with Artists Equity is to build a creator-focused studio that can optimize the production process with shared participation in the commercial success of projects,” Affleck continues.  “We are thrilled to partner with Gerry Cardinale and the RedBird team, who have a long track record of building notable scaled platform businesses around unique IP. Matt and I are looking forward to working together to empower the current and future creative minds in the entertainment industry.”

Matt Damon’s Statement

“Historically, the Success of a film was based on its box office performance. Now, with the rise of streaming, the business behind filmmaking has intrinsically changed.” Damon, who will serve as Artists Equity’s Chief Content Officer, says in his statement.

“However, Ben and I know that the power will continue to be in the hands of the creators, no matter which direction the industry evolves,” Damon adds. “Artists Equity enables these visionaries to take ownership of their creative power, providing a platform for both established and emerging filmmakers to streamline the development of their content. Ben and I are lucky to have worked with some of the best in the business. And our partnership with Gerry Cardinale and the team at RedBird continues us on that trajectory as we look to innovate and empower through the Artists Equity platform.”

Air Jordan Will Be Artists Equity’s First Project

The Good Hill Hunting stars will lead the company.  And its first project will feature Ben as director and Matt as the star in a movie exploring the creation
of the Air Jordan brand, which will be released in 2023, one of three projects planned for next year.

As of July 12, 2022, Air Jordan entered post-production. The film features an all-star cast in addition to Affleck and Damon. Jason Bateman, Viola Davis, Chris Tucker, and Marlon Wayans will also star in the flick.