Matt Damon Hints at Potential ‘Rounders’ Sequel: “We All Want to Do It”
Matt Damon recently sparked excitement among fans by hinting at the possibility of a sequel to the 1998 poker-themed film Rounders. During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show on Roku Channel, Damon discussed his desire to revisit the film that, despite underperforming at the box office, has since garnered a dedicated fan base.
In the interview, Damon shared that his production company, Artists Equity, which he co-founded with Ben Affleck, is already working on The Accountant 2 starring Affleck. However, when it comes to his own projects, Damon expressed a particular interest in revisiting Rounders, a film that delves into the world of underground, high-stakes poker. Directed by John Dahl, the original movie featured a star-studded cast including Edward Norton, John Turturro, John Malkovich, and Gretchen Mol.
“The one that we’ve been talking about for years — and I just saw Edward Norton a few weeks ago, [and] all of us want to do it — is a second Rounders movie,” Damon revealed. “Because so much has happened in that poker world in the last 25 years, it would be fun to catch up with those guys.”
However, Damon noted that there are significant challenges related to the rights issues of the film, originally released by Miramax Films on September 11, 1998. “You’ve got to figure out the chain of title and who owns it, and everybody’s got their hand in the pot,” Damon explained. “So we’ve got to figure out a way to make a deal that makes sense for everybody, particularly the people who are going to make the movie because at Artists Equity, that’s who we care about — the cast and crew. We’re trying to figure that out because I think we’d all like to do that.”
Damon also mentioned that he had discussions about a sequel 10 to 15 years ago with the film’s screenwriters, David Levien and Brian Koppelman, who later created the Showtime series Billions. The writers had an idea for a follow-up, but Damon believes that the evolution of the real-life poker scene would necessitate updates to their original concept.
“What they had 10 years ago, I thought, was fantastic, and I’m sure they could augment and roll with the times and update it to where we are today and make something great,” he continued.
Despite its initial lackluster performance at the box office, Rounders has since found a dedicated following. Damon acknowledged this shift in perception, noting, “That’s one of those movies that, it came out and didn’t do well. When it came out, it kind of bombed, and then it got discovered by people later. When that happens, people feel a sense of ownership, like, ‘Hey, that’s my movie. I was a champion of that movie even when no one else was.’ So it feels like there’s a lot of goodwill behind it. But we gotta figure out if we can make it happen.”
Currently promoting his role in Apple’s The Instigators, Damon continues to be a prominent figure in Hollywood, with fans eagerly anticipating his future projects. A potential Rounders sequel would undoubtedly excite many who have grown to love the original film over the years.
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