Ben Affleck and Matt Damon reveal why they waited so long to collaborate as writers again for The Last Duel. The pair share screenwriting and acting credits for the historical drama along with Nicole Holofcener (Enough Said, Friends With Money) as a third co-writer. The actors have frequently appeared in each other's movies over the years, but this marks the duo's first writing project together since 1997's Good Will Hunting (which they also starred in), for which they won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
The Last Duel is based on a book of the same name by Eric Jager. It follows Jean de Carrouges, a knight (Damon) who challenges his friend and squire Jacques Le Gris (Driver) to a trial by combat after Carrouges's wife (Comer) accuses Le Gris of sexually assaulting her. The film is directed by the legendary Ridley Scott and also stars Adam Driver and Jodie Comer. The film went through a tough time while filming with a hiatus of several months due to the pandemic but ultimately managed to complete shooting and is finally set to open in theatres worldwide on October 15th.
Affleck and Damon, along with Holofcener, sat down for an interview on EW's Around The Table talk show to discuss why it took so long for them to write together again and why they needed the input of a third writer. The pair showed nothing but admiration for their fellow collaborator and raved about her talent, with Damon stating that "she's the best writer in the world." The duo also looked back at their time writing Good Will Hunting together while they were roommates and unemployed. They recalled the amount of free time they had with "no deadline" to finish the script and how "we had a couple of years to make a bunch of mistakes." Affleck explained that the important thing over the years was that he and Damon got to working and continued to share some ideas until the right project presented itself. Read his comments below:
"The goal was to get the work and then we started working and that was what we focused on. But we continued to collaborate and work together and show each other stuff. Then, this book came along, we found it… gave it to Matt, he gave it to me and we were both struck by this story of this incredible woman and what she did and her heroism. It just seemed so moving. Because a part of the story as conceived, trying to reveal the untold world of women that history didn’t record."
The Oscar winners further elaborated on why they needed Nicole Holofcener's outlook for the story. Damon said that the novel provided him and Affleck with the material to work with for the "male perspective" of the story, but Holofcener had to create the "female perspective" and "create a world of women out of whole cloth." Holofcener herself highlighted her interest in Marguerite's character and said that she wanted "to give her three dimensions and give her life and get her story known." Damon also added that an awful amount of research went into the story and mentioned how it impacted the writing process for the trio.
Audiences will have to wait at least until October 15th to see if Damon and Affleck's long-awaited second collaboration as co-writers is worth the wait. Early reactions to The Last Duel show mixed to positive reviews, which bodes well for the reunited duo. The expectations for Ridley Scott's epic are sky-high, but there is no doubt that with the talent on display in front of the camera and the back, cinemagoers will be in for an absolute treat. The film will be playing exclusively in theaters for 45 days before it heads to digital platforms.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
