Artists Equity, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon‘s new banner, closes this year’s edition of SXSW in Austin with its first film, “Air,” a biopic about Nike co-founder Phil Knight and the birth of the Air Jordan shoe. But AE is in talks with Amazon about their second film before their first even premieres. Deadline reports that “Unstoppable,” a biopic about three-time All-American one-legged wrestler Anthony Robles, will be AE’s next film, and someone closely attached to Affleck may star.
So who’s the actor attached? None other than Jennifer Lopez, Affleck’s new wife. While AE and Amazon look to close the deal soon and enter production on the feature as soon as possible, J. Lo has other projects before it. First up for the actress-musician is Netflix‘s “The Mother,” a drama that stars Lopez as an assassin who comes out of hiding to protect her daughter. And on the music front, Lopez has “This Is Me….Now,” a thirteen-track new album set for release later this year. That album follows up songs about Affleck from 20 years ago with new ones entitled “Dear Ben Pt. II” and “Midnight Trip To Vegas,” about the couple’s marriage ceremony from last July. If that sounds nauseating, well, reader, it’s not just you.
Having “Unstoppable” on the horizon for AE and Amazon marks even further trust between the two companies. Back in January, Amazon shifted its release of “Air” from a Prime Video to a wide theatrical release, leading many to believe they’re super-high on the movie. After its world premiere at SXSW this weekend, it opens in theaters everywhere on April 5, Easter Weekend. Both AE co-founders star in “Air,” but it remains to be seen if they’ll have acting roles in “Unstoppable.”
“Unstoppable” also marks another sports-related movie for AE, which may be the start of a trend for the company. Or maybe it’s too early for that kind of speculation. Let’s wait and see how critics respond to “Air” at SXSW this weekend and how audiences react to it next month before anyone hazards a guess about AE’s future. Still, having J. Lo set to star in AE’s next film does hint that Affleck, Damon & co. want to keep their company’s projects “in the family,” so to speak. But that’s subject to change: if “Air” does well this Spring, expect Artists Equity to announce at least another upcoming project or two this calendar year.
