Editorial Staff
Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Minnie Driver have all turned down a sequel to the 1997 hit Good Will Hunting.
The film, which put writer/actors Damon and Affleck on the map, in turn snaring them an Academy Award for their screenplay, told of Will Hunting (Matt Damon), a janitor at MIT with a high IQ who captures the attention of both a professor (Stellan Skarsgard) and psychiatrist (Robin Williams) when he solves a seemingly unsolvable math problem. Gus Van Sant directed the film, which was distributed by Miramax.
On the red carpet for the collaborators’ newie Air, Bourne star Damon revealed that his long-time friend and cohort had received a “serious” pitch for a “flat-out sequel” to the Kevin Smith-produced drama as recently as the past few days.
“I shit you not, that happened,” Damon laughed. “He told me today. It’s top of my mind because he’s like, ‘you’re not gonna believe what I heard.”
Affleck later backed up Damon’s claim.
“Matt is always telling stories that he should not be telling. [The sequel] is not one we’re going to pursue,” Affleck said.
Minnie Driver, who played Damon’s love interest in the film, tells ComicBook.com that she isn’t interested in doing a sequel to the film.
“I think that movie needs to exist. I think I understand that it is so current to do that. I think some things should just remain beautiful and perfect in their existence,” Driver said. “And I just… I don’t know. Like I’d want to see a sequel to Grosse Pointe Blank. I’d want to see what… I mean, I know Barry kind of covered a lot of territory about what happens to hitmen who try and get out and then end up not being able to get out. But I think Good Will Hunting, I think that should be left alone.”
