Ben Affleck gifted Jennifer Lopez with big movie deals, angering colleagues ...Middle East

When Ben Affleck was still in the honeymoon phase of his brief marriage to Jennifer Lopez, he presented his long-time love with a gift that could only come from a newly minted movie mogul like himself, according to a new report.

The Oscar-winning actor-director had just co-founded Actors Equity, a production company with his best friend Matt Damon, and he overrode the objections of his executive to green-light Lopez’s dream project. It was a starring role in the film adaption of the Tony-winning Broadway musical, “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” veteran Hollywood reporter Kim Masters reveals in the Puck newsletter.

“Other executives at the independent production company opposed the idea, sources told me, but Affleck said he loved it — plus it gave his then-dreamgirl her dream role,” Masters reported. “And when it comes to Artists Equity, what Ben thinks is what counts.”

“Kiss of the Spider Woman” is expected to be released in theaters in October, and Lopez was moved to tears when she received a standing ovation at the movie’s debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January, the Daily Beast reported. At the Q&A after the screening, she still shed tears as she told the audience, “I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life.” Apparently referring to one day starring in a movie musical, “That was always my goal, and this is the first time I’ve gotten to do it. It’s my dream come true.”

While reviews for Lopez’s dream project were generally positive after the Sundance screening, Masters offered a less optimistic view of the film’s prospects. The film was shot for $32 million, for which Affleck sought outside financing, Masters said. But after Sundance, the film attracted no buyers to distribute it. It finally landed with Roadside Attractions, “where movies often wind up when all else has failed,” Masters said.

The Sundance Film Festival happened to come a few weeks after Lopez and Affleck finalized their divorce. Their big, splashy August 2022 marriage had been long anticipated, going back to when they first dated and became engaged in the early 2000s before splitting up and going their separate ways. They reignited their long-dormant passion in 2021 but were unable to make it to their two-year anniversary before separating.

Finalizing their divorce meant figuring out what to do with the $61 million estate in Beverly Hills that they purchased together in 2023 and barely lived in, according to reports. The house is still on the market, the Daily Mail reported this week. It’s also likely that the estranged spouses had to figure out the rollout for the three movies that Lopez made with the help of Affleck’s company.

Artists Equity also produced Lopez’s much-dissected documentary, “The Greatest Love Story Never Told,” which is supposedly about the making her of album, “This is Me … Now,” which was not well-received. Lopez also used the documentary to reflect on her serial failed relationships while making the case that she’s finally found the elusive great love with Affleck. But to observers, Lopez revealed the issues that doomed their marriage, as when Affleck revealed to the camera that he has a hard time dealing with Lopez’s constant need to be in the public eye and to share her private life on social media.

Lopez’s third project under the Artists Equity banner was the drama “Unstoppable,” which was financed by Amazon MGM and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 2024. The film was briefly the subject of buzz around Lopez’s performance as the mother of a real-life NCAA champion wrestler who was born without one leg. But even with some positive reviews, “Unstoppable” failed to generate much awards interest and had a limited theatrical release before being streamed on Amazon Prime.

Affleck’s decision to use Artists Equity to produce his then-wife’s projects — at least one of which could be called a vanity project — points to larger issues at the company, according to Masters’ report. Affleck and Damon founded Artists Equity to attract talented filmmakers and to give them more freedom, while offering cast and crew members a share of the profits.

But thus far, the company has focused on producing projects that involve Affleck, Damon, and their family members, including Affleck’s now ex-wife.

For example, the company, with $130 million from Amazon Studios, produced “Air,” a 2023 sports dramedy about Nike’s creation of the Air Jordan shoe line. It co-starred Damon and Affleck, with Affleck directing, and they each paid themselves $25 million, Masters reported. “The Instigators,” a $140 million film funded by Apple, also was “a family affair,” Masters said. Damon starred in the film, while he and Affleck produced it, and Affleck’s brother, Casey Affleck, co-wrote the script and also co-starred. Damon’s wife, Luciana, was an executive producer.

But this focus on Affleck and Damon has led to issues, according to Masters. For one thing, it remains to be seen whether Artists Equity can branch out and produce movies that don’t involve either of them. But another issue is the way Affleck has been running the company. Masters said that he calls the shots “with an intensity that has led to strained relationships, as well as some turnover at the top.”

A source asked Masters: “Did you see Air? (Affleck) thinks he’s (Nike CEO) Phil Knight. There’s a scene where he goes, ‘This is my company, we do things my way!’ That wasn’t acting.” Presumably, doing things “my way” means that everyone had no choice but to go along with Affleck’s desire to produce movies for his ex-wife.

The first two J-Lo projects clearly didn’t succeed as planned. Now Affleck and Artists Equity will have to see whether American audiences have an appetite for her third: A musical about two cellmates in an Argentinian prison in 1981, who seek mental escape from confinement and torture by reminiscing about the plots of their favorite classic musicals starring an actress played by Lopez.

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