Key Takeaways

• Film Reunion: Ben Affleck and Matt Damon reunite in the anticipated film The Rip.
• Director’s Inspiration: Joe Carnahan was inspired by a personal experience and a friend from Miami Dade PD.
• Production Company: The film is produced by their Artists Equity studio, aiming to create films they enjoy.
• Release Date: The Rip will be available on Netflix starting January 16.

GQ brings us a new look at the anticipated reunion of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in The Rip. Director Joe Carnahan, whose credits include Narc, The Grey, Smokin’ Aces, and The A-Team, shared that he was inspired by a friend from Miami Dade PD’s Tactical Narcotics division after going on his own rip mission. Carnahan explained, “I went through an unbelievably bad breakup, and it was really fraught with a lot of pain and anger. And in the weirdest way, man, it just reconstituted—I kept thinking of Back to the Future II, like give me trash and I’ll create fusion. I’ve never been good at therapy, and probably because there’s something deeply wrong with me that I’m immune to it. But I found this to be very therapeutic, and that script just kind of flew out of me.”

Damon says he and Affleck quickly signed on to the film to make it through their Artists Equity studio. When the Bourne series star was asked what movies he and his best friend intend to produce, he stated, “Our goal is always to just make movies that we think we’ll like, which is really the same calculus we use in our own careers as actors. It kind of drives our creative team crazy, because they’re like, ‘What are we looking for?’ And we always just go, A good movie.”

Affleck explained that he took the movie because, “I was interested in this particular brand of masculinity and drawn to playing what I suppose now is an unapologetically ‘throwback’ type role.” He was also enthused about reuniting with Carnahan in particular because he “understands those men.”

Carnahan gave his impression of Artists Equity as “the vanguard of something that I think is really vital. Hopefully, a lot more artists adapt [like they have]; they’re doing things in a non-traditional way. I’ve worked for some absolute scoundrels, bums, thieves, and crooks, and had to make movies under really difficult conditions with just the worst… I’ll put air quotes, ‘producers.’ [Ben and Matt] are the cream of the crop. They’re just unimpeachable in what they do.”

Here is the plot of The Rip courtesy of Netflix: “Upon discovering millions in cash in a derelict stash house, trust among a team of Miami cops begins to fray. As outside forces learn about the size of the seizure, everything is called into question — including who they can rely on.” The supporting cast includes Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Kyle Chandler, Scott Adkins, and more. Previously marketed as RIP (as in “rest in peace”), The Rip (as in something you pull from a crime scene) is directed by Joe Carnahan, making it a Smokin’ Aces reunion for the director and Affleck. It’s probably more notable for most because it’s another reteaming for Affleck and Damon, who most recently appeared onscreen together in 2023’s Air.

The Rip is also something of a business venture for Affleck and Damon, as it comes courtesy of their Artists Equity production company, which the boys launched in late 2022. Their first release was the aforementioned Air, which earned two Golden Globe nominations in the Musical or Comedy category. In addition to The Rip, Artists Equity also has Bill Condon’s Kiss of the Spider Woman on the calendar for an awards season run and has already seen the release of the Affleck-led The Accountant 2.

The Rip launches on Netflix on January 16.