Ryan Gosling had finally said no, and Matt Damon is ready to say yes to this science-fiction film featuring time travel and superheroes, apparently.
Gosling could have had a golden year. Released in March with a $200 million budget before marketing, The Last Chance Project wasn’t a guaranteed homer for distributors Amazon MGM Studios and Sony, but the reality certainly exceeded their wildest dreams as the movie directed by Chris Lord and Phil Miller (The Lego Movie) pulled in nearly $670 million at the box office. A staggering score for an “original” film — in other words: not a sequel, not a remake, not a reboot, and simply an adaptation of a best-selling book.
In the wake of that success, the actor seemed ready to join another huge science-fiction project, again cooked up by a pair of filmmakers who had propelled themselves into Hollywood’s “cool” stratosphere: the upcoming untitled film from Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, aka the Daniels, the duo behind Everything Everywhere All at Once. That talk lasted only a few weeks, as Gosling ultimately declined. And after a surprisingly difficult search, according to rumors, Matt Damon is the one who would take it on.
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE BUT NOT EVERYONE
According to Deadline, Matt Damon is the actor showing interest in this still-untitled project, with the actor in talks for the high-profile role that had been linked to Ryan Gosling and a handful of other top-tier names. And apparently, it wasn’t as easy to navigate as it might seem.
After the phenomenal success of Everything Everywhere All at Once, which crossed $143 million worldwide on a budget of about $20 million and swept seven Oscars (including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Director) in 2023, the Daniels could probably do whatever they wanted, with whomever they wanted. At least in theory. When Ryan Gosling finally changed his mind, it was officially for the usual scheduling reasons, and thus probably because he’s set to star in the comedy Tough Guys with Will Ferrell.
The Hollywood Reporter also unearthed a few details about the Daniels’ still-mysterious script. It would revolve around time travel, climate change, and possibly even superheroes, all spanning two eras: the present on one side and the ’80s on the other. The film would indeed center on a group of teenagers, and Ryan Gosling Matt Damon would play one of the fathers.
Intriguing detail: there were apparently three different eras in the original draft before the rewrites, which helps explain the delays since the film was initially slated for a June 2026 release, later pushed back to November 2027.
If this pans out, Matt Damon will therefore ride a heavy promotional circuit for The Odyssey, Nolan’s upcoming film hitting theaters on the 15th of July, alongside the Daniels’ shoot, billed as a major production. It’s a heavy schedule, but we’ve seen tougher.
