Why Ben Affleck & Matt Damon Never Wrote Another Movie Together After Good Will Hunting
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's life changed in 1997 when "Good Will Hunting" — which they co-wrote and co-starred in — debuted to critical and commercial acclaim. Their friendship and working relationship goes back to the '80s, with Affleck and Damon starring as extras on Kevin Costner's "Field of Dreams." The budding creatives would then win the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for "Good Will Hunting." Decades later, Affleck and Damon still occasionally work together. However, the Boston natives haven't written a solo film together since "Good Will Hunting."
In a 2016 Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything), Damon revealed why they didn't write another movie after their initial breakthrough success. "So I would love to write another script with Ben [...] The big issue is time for us. We have a company together so we work on a lot of projects together, but to try to carve out the time is really tough," wrote Damon. The "Jason Bourne" actor then discussed how he and his friend have children and other duties, with Affleck primarily focusing on directing.
"The thing about 'Good Will Hunting' is that we were unemployed and we weren't writing the script on a deadline either," Damon continued, adding that he and Affleck were relatively young and didn't have the pressures of adult responsibilities or a deadline from a studio. Damon ended his Reddit comment by saying he would like to be directed by Affleck one day. Years later, Damon's request would come true with "Air."
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon co-wrote The Last Duel with another writer
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon would team up to write Ridley Scott's historical 2021 drama "The Last Duel," making it their second written project after "Good Will Hunting." However, "The Last Duel" wasn't exactly a duo effort, as they wrote the picture alongside Nicole Holofcener. Bringing Holofcener on board was a sound decision, as Damon and Affleck only wrote the male character-centered scenes in "The Last Duel."
While speaking with E! News to promote "The Last Duel," Damon candidly admitted that he and Affleck underestimated how much effort and time it took to write a script together. "If we just work during hours that we could easily carve out, we could get a lot done," Damon said. "The Last Duel" emerged as another critical success for the duo and for Holofcener — it has an 85% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. Since "The Last Duel," both Affleck and Damon haven't written anything.
They did, however, reunite in 2023 for the Nike biopic "Air," which Affleck directed. This was the first time Affleck directed Damon — a major moment for the duo. During a Q&A (via Collider) for the film, Damon discussed that it felt natural to be directed by Affleck, saying, "We've written a bunch of movies and produced and acted together for so many years and decades, so it didn't feel any different, working this way." The feeling was mutual for the filmmaker, as Affleck had nothing but praise for Damon's performance in "Air."