Ben Affleck, Matt Damon’s Artists Equity inks multi-year first-look deal with Netflix

Los Angeles, Mar 4 (PTI) Hollywood stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s banner Artists Equity has signed a multi-year streaming first-look deal, production and distribution agreement with Netflix.

Artists Equity, which was also founded by RedBird Capital’s Gerry Cardinale, recently partnered with Netflix on the crime thriller "The Rip", starring both Affleck and Damon, which spent three weeks as the No. 1 movie on streamer's Top 10 chart, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Netflix is also set to release Affleck’s next directorial feature, "Animals", which features the Oscar winner alongside Kerry Washington and Gillian Anderson. It is scheduled to come out later this year.

“This is an incredible milestone for Artists Equity and one that validates the vision we’ve been working towards since 2022. From the jump, we’ve seen this growing need for an independent supplier comfortable across the entire creative process, from development to final cut. Netflix is a great match for our work," Affleck and Damon said in a joint statement.

They praised Netflix film chairman Dan Lin and his team, saying they have a unique connection with the "modern viewer and the ability to unite audiences over a shared cultural moment".

The news of the Netflix partnership comes after Artists Equity entered into a similar pact with Sony but for theatrical releases.

Under that 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.

In terms of which projects will end up under the Netflix streaming deal or the Sony theatrical pact, that decision will be made on a project-by-project basis based on Artists Equity’s discussion with its studio partners. PTI RB RB