“Deadpool & Wolverine” was the second biggest movie of the year, following “Inside Out 2,” but it could have been even bigger. The highest-grossing R-rated movie ever globally, it raked in 1.3 billion this year worldwide, became the 18th highest-grossing film of all time, and became the sixth highest-grossing Marvel movie ever, only bested by four “Avengers” films and “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

Filled to the brim with cameos, of course, Chris Evans as the Human Torch, Channing Tatum as Gambit, Wesley Snipes as Blade, Jennifer Garner as Elektra and more, there were definitely more cameos on the table in early drafts.

Continue reading Ryan Reynolds Says Early ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Featured Daredevil & Ghost Rider & Says Marvel Is Obsessed With Channing Tatum’s Gambit at The Playlist.

It looks like Netflix has a couple of up-and-coming actresses joining Ben Affleck and Matt Damon on their “RIP” cast list. Deadline reports that Teyana Taylor and Sasha Calle are the latest to join the ensemble of the upcoming crime pic.  Netflix bought Artist Equity‘s package for “RIP” in June, which sees Affleck and Damon co-star for the first time since last year’s “Air.”  But “RIP” isn’t quite the “dad cinema” that movie is.

Continue reading ‘RIP’: Teyana Taylor & Sasha Calle Join Ben Affleck & Matt Damon In Netflix’s Upcoming Crime Thriller at The Playlist.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” is obviously out in the world; it’s grossed $900 million-something so far and is projected to surpass the coveted $1 billion mark this weekend with a total that could end around $1.3-$1.4 billion, depending on its box office legs. And yes, as you’ve heard or seen from various leaks all over social media—plus official reveals from Ryan Reynolds’ on his social channels, who basically unveiled every cameo and who was starring in the role—the film is filled with surprise guests (not to mention Marvel released a new TV spot yesterday that revealed all the cameos which you can see below).

Continue reading ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Writers Say They Wanted Robert Downey Jr. & Reveal Other Cameos That Didn’t Make The Cut at The Playlist.

Gone are the days when streaming studios had seemingly limitless bank accounts and would throw money at every filmmaker in town to make films. Now, we are seeing streamers act a bit more reasonably in terms of spending. That said, if you get folks like Matt Damon and Ben Affleck together for a film, you better believe Netflix will write you a check. According to Deadline, Netflix has landed the previously announced film “RIP.

Continue reading ‘RIP’: Netflix Lands Crime Thriller Starring Ben Affleck & Matt Damon at The Playlist.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon effectively launched their career together in “Good Will Hunting,” the movie in which they won an Academy Award for Original Screenplay. While they’ve plotted dozens of reunions over the years, none ever really happened, and it took Ridley Scott and a writing collaboration on “The Last Duel” for the pair to finally unite on screen in 2021.

Continue reading Ben Affleck & Matt Damon Will Reunite In Joe Carnahan’s Crime Thriller ‘RIP’ at The Playlist.

It looks like the partnership between Ben Affleck and Matt Damon‘s studio Artist Equity and Amazon MGM will continue to bear fruit. Deadline reports that the companies team up again for “The Accountant 2,” a sequel to the 2016 action drama starring Affleck. It’ll be their fourth collaboration together after Nike shoe drama “Air,” Jennifer Lopez doc “The Greatest Love Story Never Told,” and the upcoming wrestling pic “Unstoppable,” about Anthony Robles.

Continue reading ‘The Accountant 2’: Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal, & J.K. Simmons Return For Sequel at The Playlist.

You kinda have to love the Jennifer Lopez/Ben Affleck marriage and relationship. One is a pop superstar who craves the spotlight, and the other is an actor/director who had his fill of fame in the ’90s and seemingly craves his own privacy. Their love seems genuine, authentic, and real, but their outlooks on things seem very different. Lopez is about to unveil her new documentary, “The Greatest Love Story Never Told,” a self-financed $20 million three-part multimedia project that examines Lopez’s life as a serial romantic.

Continue reading ‘The Greatest Love Story Never Told’ Trailer: Jennifer Lopez Gets Meta About Her Own Life In New Personal Quasi-Doc at The Playlist.

With the Oscars fast approaching, the cast of “Barbie” is on one final press tour to drum up hype for its eight nominations. And oh boy, the secrets that have tumbled out of their mouths on this latest go-around. The best new story? At a live Q&A for an episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Michael Cera revealed that Allan’s fight scene as he tries to skip Kenland shortly before the film’s third act wasn’t even supposed to happen.

Continue reading ‘Barbie’: Michael Cera Reveals Ben Affleck Was Supposed To Be In The Movie In A Fight Cameo at The Playlist.

Another year, another Super Bowl. While many people watch the Big Game for the action on the field (and last night’s game was one for the ages), there are still quite a few people who like the commercials and the Half Time Show. Well, this year (like every year) featured yet another star-studded list of commercials featuring so many huge names shilling for massive corporations… but with jokes!

READ MORE: Martin Scorsese & His Daughter Make A Website In A New Squarespace Super Bowl Ad

Sure, we already talked about Jason Momoa trying to sell you on T-Mobile, as well as Martin Scorsese attempting to build a website, but there was so, so many more that showed up during last night’s Super Bowl.

Continue reading Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Michael Cera, Chris Pratt & More Show Up In Star-Studded Super Bowl Ads at The Playlist.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon got Artists Equity off to a strong start last year with “Air.” Now the duo’s long creative partnership continues with “Animals,” a crime thriller with Affleck set to direct and Damon starring. THR reports that Netflix landed the film, which looks to start shooting in LA this March.  

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2024

Written by Connor McIntyre with revisions by Billy Ray, “Animals” follows a mayoral candidate whose son gets kidnapped, forcing him and his wife to get their hands dirty.

Continue reading ‘Animals’: Ben Affleck & Matt Damon Team Up Again For Crime Thriller At Netflix at The Playlist.

There’s only two films left before the DCEU wraps: “Blue Beetle” on August 18, and “Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom” on December 20. After that, James Gunn & Peter Safran start from scratch with their DCU, with Gunn’s “Superman: Legacy” kicking things off in 2025. Speaking of legacies, the DCEU leaves behind one full of critical disappointments, missed opportunities, and things that might have been.

Continue reading Ex-DCEU Storyboard Artist Hints That Ben Affleck’s “Awesome” Scrapped ‘Batman’ Film Would Have Covered “80 Years” Of Mythos at The Playlist.

Upon its release in 2014, there was a ton of acclaim thrown at the feet of David Fincher’s twisty thriller, “Gone Girl.” While a ton of recognition, including an Oscar nomination, was given to Rosamund Pike’s lead performance, there were many who saw Ben Affleck as one of the best parts of the film, playing the husband on the search for his missing wife. But, as famous and talented as Affleck is, he wasn’t the first choice for the co-lead of the Fincher film.

Continue reading Jon Hamm Couldn’t Star In ‘Gone Girl’ Due To ‘Mad Men’ Commitment But Fincher Film Role Was “Meant To Be Me” at The Playlist.

There is a suggested line to when a superhero movie relies too much on the fleeting high of fan service and special effects. Andy Muschietti’s “The Flash” blitzes past that line and then proceeds to run out of ideas. It’s not the pivotal movie that the DCU needs it to be by its own design—like its hero, it’s stuck thinking about the past, and it swaps out its heroism for a tidal wave of gloopy zeroes and ones.

Continue reading ‘The Flash’ Review: Barry Allen Is Barely The Lead In A Hollow Movie Overfilled With Fan Service at The Playlist.

In today’s episode of The Discourse, host Mike DeAngelo gets hypnotized by Robert Rodriguez (“Desperado,” “Sin City,” “The Book of Boba Fett”). The prolific writer/producer/director is currently promoting his latest film, “Hypnotic,” which follows a detective (Ben Affleck) who relentlessly pursues a mystery involving his missing daughter and a secret government program.

Continue reading ‘Hypnotic’: Robert Rodriguez On His Hitchcockian Thriller, Close Calls With Franchise Films, & ‘Alita 2’ [The Discourse Podcast] at The Playlist.

If you’ve been paying attention to all the online chatter around Warner Bros.’ “The Flash,” you know there have been a lot of changes to the film, and it’s been an evolving movie as the DCEU has tried to evolve and figure itself out in the last two years. Because as you know, “The Flash” started production when the DCEU was in full swing—replete with cameos like Henry Cavill’s Superman—but the film is now under the aegis of James Gunn’s DC Studios, and it’s been reported that Cavill’s cameo was nixed and some of the other connective tissue to the past has been purportedly scrapped.

Continue reading ‘The Flash’ Reactions: CinemaCon Audiences Call DC’s Latest Superhero Movie ‘Tremendous’ at The Playlist.

“The Flash” finally hits theaters on June 16 (but not before a world premiere at CinemaCon on April 25), and the film marks what will be the last time Ben Affleck ever plays Batman. Based on recent comments, Affleck sounds okay with that. But Deadline reports that, on a recent appearance on the Smartless podcast, Affleck admitted, “I finally figured out how to play the guy” about his upcoming performance as Bruce Wayne.

Continue reading ‘The Flash’: Ben Affleck Details Scene Between Batman & Wonder Woman Cut From Upcoming Blockbuster at The Playlist.

Yes, we are making a meal out of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s recent appearance on Bill Simmons’s The Ringer podcast recently to promote Affleck’s new directorial effort “Air” which co-stars Damon (read our review), about Nike and its relationship with Michael Jordan and we fully admit it. Look, it’s just chalked full of good stories, and look; sometimes this is (infinitely) more interesting than the regular news grist mill.

Continue reading Matt Damon Says ‘Argo’ Couldn’t Afford Him & The Script For ‘The Town’ Was “Terrible” Before The Ben Affleck Rewrite at The Playlist.

In the fall of 2022, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon started an independent production company called Artists Equity. The idea and ethos behind the company were instead of continuing to work for hire, they would generate their own films and their own projects and agreed to work exclusively for Artists Equity. They also obtained a minimum of $100 million in financing from the investment firm RedBird Capital Partners.

Continue reading Ben Affleck & Matt Damon Are Trying To Work With Steven Soderbergh In Their Artists Equity Studio at The Playlist.

Screenwriter, filmmaker, and podcaster Brian Koppelman (“Ocean’s Thirteen,” “Rounders,” “Billions”) is a very open guy, and on his The Moment With Brian Koppelman podcast, he does AMAs (ask me anything), where he answers mailbag questions. But, for a while there, the writer/director/showrunner used to add something to the effect of, just don’t ask me questions about “Rounders 2.”

READ MORE: Harvey Weinstein Says Matt Damon To Return For ‘Rounders 2,’ Robert De Niro Eyed For Villain

The context here is “Rounders” is Koppelman’s 1998 poker movie he co-wrote with creative partner David Levien and directed by John Dahl.

Continue reading Matt Damon & Ben Affleck Say They Are “Investigating” Whether ‘Rounders 2’ Is Possible at The Playlist.

For all the headlines written about Ben Affleck’s mid-career return to superhero movies, one still must wonder what movies we missed from Director Affleck while Actor Affleck was otherwise preoccupied. Even accounting for the commercial hiccup that was “Live by Night,” Affleck proved himself as a notable director in just a handful of films, putting himself on an upwards trajectory that was unceremoniously interrupted by his franchise work. So even setting aside the tabloid narratives about his personal life, Affleck’s return to the director’s chair in “Air” is something to be celebrated.

Continue reading ‘Air’ Review: Ben Affleck’s Sports Biopic Is Also His Industry Manifesto [SXSW] at The Playlist.

“Air,” the first film from Ben Affleck and Matt Damon‘s Artist Equity banner, closes SXSW in Austin this year to much anticipation. Will critics love the Phil Knight biopic and launch AE as a new production studio of note? Make no mistake, “Air” is pretty buzzy heading into its world premiere, but buzz means nothing after the movie finally meets critics.  

Continue reading ‘Hypnotic’: Robert Rodriguez’s Thriller With Ben Affleck Gets A May 12 Theatrical Release After Buzzy “Work In Progress” Screening At SXSW at The Playlist.

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.

Continue reading ‘Unstoppable’: Jennifer Lopez To Star In Upcoming Sports Biopic From Artists Equity & Amazon at The Playlist.

As James Gunn and Peter Safran‘s new take on the DCEU moves forward, fans can’t help but wonder who will star and help helm the future films of “Gods and Monsters.”  Ben Affleck makes it clear in a new THR interview that he won’t return to direct any new movies for DC Studios. Maybe that’s due to his experience as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Zack Snyder‘s “Justice League” and elsewhere?

Continue reading Ben Affleck Says He’s In ‘The Flash’ For 5 Minutes & Says ‘Justice League’ Left “The Most Monstrous Taste In My Mouth” at The Playlist.

Now that James Gunn and Peter Safran have a new path forward for the DCEU, many questions abound. Who besides Gunn will direct some of the newly announced projects? Who will star as the new DCEU’s most iconic heroes like Superman and Batman? And will any former stars of the DCEU brand return to get involved with the latest films and series?

READ MORE: James Gunn To Direct ‘Superman: Legacy’ For DC Studios

In some cases, like Jason Momoa, it’s safe to say the actor will return in some capacity for the new DCEU.

Continue reading Ben Affleck Says He Won’t Direct Any Projects For James Gunn’s Take On The DCEU: “I’m Not Interested In That” at The Playlist.

Though it boasts a few clever ideas and exciting set pieces, Rodriguez's latest falters for the same reason his films usually do: a flimsy script.

Continue reading ‘Hypnotic’ Review: Robert Rodriguez & Ben Affleck Team For An ‘Inception’-Ish Nolan-Like Thriller [SXSW] at The Playlist.