Ben Affleck launches new film production company, calls Netflix an 'assembly line factory'

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, the most famous brothers in Hollywood, announced earlier that they would cooperate to establish a new film production company, Artist Equity. According to reports, at the DealBook Summit held by The New York Times in New York, Affleck said that the two formed a new company to fight against the current streaming services The way that talents in the industry are treated, especially Netflix’s “assembly line” film production.

In an interview with DEADLINE, Affleck said: "I don't think commerciality and high quality are contradictory. If you ask (Netflix co-founder and CEO) Reed Hastings... I'm sure there are risks, and I'm sure they have a good strategy, but I would say, 'How do we make 50 great movies?! How is it possible? There is not a big enough committee. There is not enough anything - you can't do it. This is something that requires investment, dedication and hard work, and it must prevent it from becoming a pure assembly line production. "

“The first wave of streaming was about quantity, the second wave is about quality,” said Gerry Cardinale of Redbird Capital, an investment partner at Artist Equity.

In a New York Times article further detailing the company's formation, it was explained that Damon and Affleck plan to share profits with their actors and non-photogenic talent, something that most streaming services and studios don't currently offer. Affleck told the Times that he feels cinematographers, editors, and costume designers are among the people who contribute greatly to the making of a film but "are being very underpaid."

Artists Equity expects to release three projects in 2023, with a goal of five per year. No information is available yet about the production company's upcoming projects or when they will be released.