For the first time since their acclaimed drama Good Will Hunting, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are reuniting on both the production and acting fronts for a major film.
It’s been 14 years since the duo propelled their careers by winning an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the film they co-wrote and starred in together.
Though they shared the screen in the 1999 comedy Dogma, this marks their first active collaboration since 1997.
They are set to co-produce, direct, and star in a biographical film about the infamous Boston gangster James ‘Whitey’ Bulger.
After years of contemplating the next project, they have now confirmed that the Bulger story will serve as their reunion.
Matt is set to portray the alleged murderer, who had evaded capture for nearly two decades before his recent arrest.
Ben, married to actress Jennifer Garner, will take on directorial duties in addition to acting in the film.
Under their Pearl Street Films banner, the two will co-produce the movie.
Damon shared with a reporter: “We’re working on a Whitey Bulger movie. There are several competing projects, and I don’t think our involvement has been announced yet.
“But the sooner it’s revealed, the better, hopefully leading everyone else to step back. I’m really looking forward to it.”
The script is being penned by Terrence Winter, creator of Boardwalk Empire, while Casey, Ben’s younger brother, will also appear in the film.
Filming is scheduled to start next year.
Bulger led South Boston’s Winter Hill Gang, which operated a protection racket targeting drug dealers and those involved in illegal gambling.
After serving as an FBI informant for several years, Bulger—accused of 19 murders—went into hiding in December 1994 when he was tipped off about an impending arrest related to RICO Act charges.
He remained in hiding for 16 years before his arrest at 81, along with his long-time companion Catherine Greig, took place in June 2011 in Santa Monica, California.
The film will chronicle Bulger’s life from his early years and time in Alcatraz to his ascent as a crime boss and dual existence as an FBI informant.
