Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s artist rights arm have found a streaming home with Netflix, signing a multi-year first-look streaming deal and production and distribution agreement with the company.
Artists Equity, also founded by Jerry Cardinale, president of RedBird Capital, recently partnered with Netflix on the crime thriller. Rupturestarring both Affleck and Damon, which spent three weeks at No. 1 on Netflix’s top 10 movies list, according to the streamer. Netflix is also set to release Affleck’s next directorial film, AnimalsIt stars Affleck, Kerry Washington, and Gillian Anderson, and is scheduled to be shown later this year.
News of the Netflix partnership comes after Artists Equity entered into a similar agreement with Sony but for theatrical releases. Under this three-year deal, Sony will distribute Artists Equity’s theatrical films globally and will additionally finance the films and handle all ancillaries, with Artists Equity having the option to co-finance certain projects. (Sony, in particular, doesn’t have a sister streaming service.)
As for which projects will end up under Netflix’s streaming deal or Sony’s theatrical agreement, that decision will be made on a project-by-project basis based on Artists Equity’s discussion with its studio partners.
“This is an incredible achievement for Artist Equality and validates the vision we’ve been working toward since 2022. Since that leap, we’ve seen this growing need for an independent resource that’s comfortable across the entire creative process, from development to final cut. Netflix is a great choice for our work.” [Netflix film chairman] Dan [Lin] “Affleck and his team have a unique connection with the modern viewer and the ability to unite audiences in a shared cultural moment,” Affleck and Damon said in a joint statement.
Lin added, “We are expanding our partnership with Artists Equity because they share our mission – to produce bold, innovative films. Ben and Matt don’t wait for opportunities, they create them: from making and starring ambitious, original films, to building an innovative studio model.”
