Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have a new studio named Artists Equity, and Affleck has high aspirations for it. How high? Deadline reports that at the New York Times‘ DeadlBook Summit in NYC yesterday, Affleck says he and Damon aim to produce commercial but quality films for streaming that “people remember 20 years later.” So, basically, not the “assembly line process” of Netflix and other streamers.
Affleck took aim at Netflix at yesterdays Q&A where he and Artists Equity’s investor partner Gerry Cardinale talked about the new studio’s goals. “If you ask Reed Hastings … 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?,” said Affleck. “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.”
Instead of Netflix’s massive annual slate of original content, Affleck, Damon, and Cardinale envision Artists Equity to produce fewer projects but of higher quality. The new studio anticipates three projects next year, with plans to release at least five per year anually later on. Artist Equity’s slate next year includes Affleck’s next directorial effort, which Damon also stars in, about the creation of the Air Jordan brand. Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports, and Mandalay Pictures co-produce the upcoming film.
Throughout the Q&A, Affleck and Cardinale returned to how much they want Artists Equity to deliver quality films that also appeal to audience expectations. “There’s bigger audience for action movies than there is for small dramas – I get that,” continued Affleck. “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.” Cardinale also added that he sees Artists Equity ushering in a new wave of streaming content in the coming years. “The first wave of streaming was about volume,” he said. “The second wave is about quality.” “I see no difference between commercial and quality,” Affleck agreed.
So, will Artists Equity usher in a new era of high-quality streaming content? Only time will tell. Stay tuned for news on other upcoming projects from Affleck and Damon’s new studio.