 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Production company |
| Predecessor | Pearl Street Films |
| Founded | November 2022 |
| Founders | |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Key people | |
| Website | artistsequity |
Artists Equity is an American production company founded by actors and filmmakers Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in November 2022.
In June 2022, It was announced that American actors and filmmakers Ben Affleck and Matt Damon would be launching a new production company with financial backing from American investor Gerry Cardinale through his investment management firm RedBird Capital. [1] In November 2022, the company was founded by Affleck and Damon, who partnered with Cardinale and received financial backing from RedBird Capital. [2]
The company's management consists of Affleck as chief executive officer, co-founder and partner, Damon as co-founder and partner, Cardinale as partner, [3] and Michael Joe as the company's chief operating officer. Joe was the former chief operating officer of STX Films, and former executive vice president at Universal Pictures. [2] The company is headquartered in Los Angeles County, California.
In 2023, the company's first film, Air , directed by and starring Affleck as Phil Knight, and Damon as Sonny Vaccaro premiere at South by Southwest on March 18, 2023, and was released worldwide on April 5, 2023. [4] [5] The film is based on true events about the origin of Air Jordan, a basketball shoeline by professional basketball player Michael Jordan and Nike, Inc. [4] The film grossed $90 million worldwide on a budget of $70–90 million, [6] [7] and received positive reviews from critics, earning Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Damon's performance. [8]
Also in 2023, the company's first documentary film, Kiss the Future, documents the underground music scene in Sarajevo during the Bosnian War, and covers U2's involvement in bringing attention to the Siege of Sarajevo and their 1997 concert in the city. [9] The documentary film premiered at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2023, and was released cinematically by AMC Theatres in February 2024. [10]
In 2024, the company worked on the productions of The Greatest Love Story Never Told (2024), a music documentary film about the making of the album This Is Me... Now by American entertainer Jennifer Lopez (the wife of Affleck), [11] and the historical drama film Small Things like These (2024), starring and produced by Cillian Murphy, which is based on the 2021 novel of the same name by Claire Keegan. [12] They released a heist thriller comedy film, The Instigators on Apple TV Plus , starring Matt Damon and Casey Affleck (Ben's brother), directed by Doug Liman and written by Chuck Maclean and Casey. The film received mixed reviews on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. [13]
The company's upcoming productions include, the action thriller film The Accountant 2 , a direct sequel to The Accountant (2016) which is directed by Gavin O'Connor, written by Bill Dubuque, and stars Affleck, [14] the musical drama film Kiss of the Spider Woman , based on the novel and musical of the same name, directed by Bill Condon and starring Lopez, [15] and the biographical sports drama film Unstoppable , based on the book of the same name by Anthony Robles and Austin Murphy, directed by William Goldenberg, and starring Lopez. [16]
| Year | Title | Director | Gross (worldwide) | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Air | Ben Affleck | $90.1 million | with Mandalay Pictures, Skydance Sports, and Amazon Studios | [17] |
| Kiss the Future | Nenad Cicin-Sain | — | with Fifth Season and In Cahoots Production | [10] | |
| 2024 | The Greatest Love Story Never Told | Jason Bergh | — | with Amazon MGM Studios | [11] |
| Small Things like These | Tim Mielants | TBA | with Big Things Films | [12] | |
| The Instigators | Doug Liman | $11,106 † | with Studio 8, The Walsh Company and Apple Studios | [18] |
† The Instigators received a limited theatrical release on August 2nd, with a release on Apple TV+ on August 9th.
Benjamin Géza Affleck is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educational series The Voyage of the Mimi (1984–1988). He later appeared in the independent comedy Dazed and Confused (1993) and several Kevin Smith comedies, including Chasing Amy (1997).
Matthew Paige Damon is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. He was ranked among Forbes' most bankable stars in 2007, and in 2010 was one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He has received various awards and nominations, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for three British Academy Film Awards and seven Primetime Emmy Awards.
Douglas Eric Liman is an American film director and producer. He is known for directing the films Swingers (1996), Go (1999), The Bourne Identity (2002), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), Jumper (2008), Edge of Tomorrow (2014), American Made (2017) and Road House (2024).
Joseph Aaron Carnahan is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor whose films include Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane; Narc; Smokin' Aces; The A-Team; The Grey; and Boss Level. He also wrote and directed several episodes for the NBC television series The Blacklist. He is the brother of screenwriter Matthew Michael Carnahan and producer Leah Carnahan.
Skydance Media, LLC, also known as Skydance Productions, is an American media production and finance company based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by David Ellison in 2006, the company specializes in films, animation, television, video games, and sports.
American actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck began his career as a child, appearing in several television shows, including the PBS educational program The Voyage of the Mimi (1984). He played an antisemite in the sports film School Ties (1992) and featured as a regular on the television drama Against the Grain (1993). He gained attention for playing the supporting part of a high-school senior in Richard Linklater's cult film Dazed and Confused (1993), after which he had his first leading role in Rich Wilkes's comedy Glory Daze (1995). In 1997, Affleck played a comics artist in Smith's art-house success Chasing Amy. He co-wrote the script and starred with Matt Damon in Gus Van Sant's drama film Good Will Hunting, for which they won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
American actor Matt Damon made his film debut with a small role in Mystic Pizza (1988), after which he played several supporting roles. His first leading role was in the legal drama film The Rainmaker (1997). His breakthrough came later that year when he played the title role of an unrecognized genius in Good Will Hunting, which he also co-wrote with Ben Affleck. They won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and Damon was nominated for Best Actor. He followed it by playing the title roles of a soldier in Steven Spielberg's war drama Saving Private Ryan (1998) and of the criminal Tom Ripley in the thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), both of which gained critical and commercial success. Damon and Sean Bailey worked on the television series Project Greenlight since 2000, helping newcomers make their first film.
Cynthia Addai-Robinson is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Naevia in the Starz television series Spartacus, DC Comics character Amanda Waller in The CW TV series Arrow, and Nadine Memphis on the USA Network series Shooter. She currently plays the role of Tar-Míriel on the Amazon Prime The Lord of the Rings series The Rings of Power.
The Accountant is a 2016 American action thriller film directed by Gavin O'Connor, written by Bill Dubuque and starring Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J. K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Jeffrey Tambor, and John Lithgow. The storyline follows Christian Wolff, a certified public accountant with autism who makes his living (un-)'cooking the books' of criminal and terrorist organizations around the world that are experiencing internal embezzlement.
Studio 8 is an American entertainment company founded in 2014, by Jeff Robinov, John Graham, and Mark Miner based in Culver City. It specializes in film and television production.
Sunday Night Productions is an American film and television production company founded by John Krasinski and Allyson Seeger in 2013. It has produced the television series Lip Sync Battle, Dream Corp LLC, and Jack Ryan, the YouTube streaming news show Some Good News (2020), and the films Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (2009), Promised Land (2012), The Hollars (2016), and A Quiet Place Part II (2020).
Apple Studios LLC is an American film, television and in-house production company that is a subsidiary of Apple Inc. It specializes in developing and producing original television series and films for Apple's digital video streaming service Apple TV+ as well as films that are intended for theatrical releases.
Air is a 2023 American biographical sports drama film directed by Ben Affleck and written by Alex Convery. The film is based on true events about the origin of Air Jordan, a basketball shoeline, of which a Nike employee seeks to strike a business deal with rookie player Michael Jordan. It stars Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, and Viola Davis.
The Instigators is a 2024 American heist comedy film directed by Doug Liman and written by Chuck Maclean and Casey Affleck. The film stars Affleck and Matt Damon, with a supporting cast that includes Hong Chau, Michael Stuhlbarg, Paul Walter Hauser, Ving Rhames, Alfred Molina, Toby Jones, Jack Harlow, and Ron Perlman.
Unstoppable is a 2024 American biographical sports drama film directed by William Goldenberg in his feature directorial debut. Written by Eric Champnella, Alex Harris and John Hindman, it is based on the 2012 book of the same name by Anthony Robles and Austin Murphy. It is produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon through Artists Equity, and Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas through Nuyorican Productions. It stars Jharrel Jerome as Robles, with a supporting cast that includes Jennifer Lopez, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, and Don Cheadle.
Kiss of the Spider Woman is an upcoming American musical drama film written and directed by Bill Condon. It is a feature adaptation of the 1992 stage musical of the same name by Terrence McNally, John Kander and Fred Ebb, which is in turn based on the 1976 novel of the same name by Manuel Puig. It is also the second film adaptation of the novel, following the 1985 film directed by Héctor Babenco. Jennifer Lopez is set to star in the titular role and serve as an executive producer, with Diego Luna and Tonatiuh co-starring as Valentin Arregui and Luis Molina, respectively.
The Accountant 2 is an upcoming American action thriller film directed by Gavin O'Connor and written by Bill Dubuque. It is the direct sequel to The Accountant (2016). Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal, J. K. Simmons, and Cynthia Addai-Robinson reprise their roles from the previous film, with Daniella Pineda among the actors joining the cast.
The following is a list of unproduced Ben Affleck projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, American filmmaker Ben Affleck has worked on several projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these projects fell in development hell, were officially canceled, were in development limbo or would see life under a different production team.
RIP is an upcoming American crime thriller film written and directed by Joe Carnahan. The film stars Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle, Nestor Carbonell, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Kyle Chandler, Scott Adkins, and Lina Esco.
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