When it was announced that Matt Damon had plans to direct his own feature film, some were unsure. After all, the results of the actor to director transition have been varied. For every Clint Eastwood, there is an Edward Norton. For every Ben Affleck, there is a Tom Hanks, and so on. However, we won’t get to find out whether Damon has filmmaking chops (in the foreseeable future anyway) now due to the fact he pulled out on the grounds he doesn’t think he can devote enough time to the project. He will still star in it, however. This news was first reported by The Playlist, then confirmed by Deadline.
The untitled project, previously going under Gold Mist, is a drama co-written by John Krasinski with Damon. The Frank Capra-esque story centers on two rival corporate executives, who will be played by Damon and Krasinski, with Frances McDormand also part of the cast. Consequently, the project was left wanting a new director, and who better than Gus Van Sant? He directed Good Will Hunting, which was co-written by Damon and Ben Affleck, a screenplay which won them an Oscar. Van Sant‘s schedule is also clear at the moment, after his recent Restless didn’t have Hollywood chanting his return.
Details on the film are currently sparse, but it will be focusing on the current economic crisis, with the key role corporate greed plays in that. It was originally set to shoot in upstate New York, but with Van Sant on board, it could move closer to his base of Portland. Either way, production will begin next April on a budget of $15 million.
Are you sad that Matt Damon has decided not to direct this project? Do you think Gus Van Sant makes a good replacement?