When Ben Affleck and Matt Damon created the 1997 picture Good Will Hunting, they set a high bar for themselves. Both award-winning actors star in Ridley Scott's upcoming film The Last Duel.

The Robin Williams vehicle received nine Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. Despite the fact that the big two went to Titanic, the Boston pair won Best Original Screenplay, defeating Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights and As Good as It Gets.

Surprisingly, it wasn't the lofty expectations that prevented Damon and Affleck from collaborating again. It was simply a question of planning, according to Damon.

In a news report, Damon mentioned that he and Affleck "assumed [writing] would be so time demanding that we'd never be able to accomplish it." 

The star of The Talented Mr. Ripley revealed that he and Affleck feared they'd "never find the time" to develop another story like Good Will Hunting. They soon learned, however, "If we just work during hours that we could easily carve out, we could get a lot done."

Affleck went on to say that he considers himself lucky to have Damon not only as a colleague but also as a friend. "I grew up with this person and have known him my entire life. We're from the same world and area, and we've kept close, and I frequently think about people that come into our profession and have certain problems "Affleck said. "Having someone to go through it with me and bounce ideas off of has been really beneficial."

"You're lucky if you get to perform the work you love, and even luckier if you get to do it alongside people you love," he pondered.

The Last Duel had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 10, 2021, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on October 15, 2021, by 20th Century Studios.