The Instigators: Get a first look at Casey Affleck and Matt Damon in the Boston heist comedy

Last Updated on April 30, 2024

Matt Damon would somewhat reunite with his Good Will Hunting and Ocean’s series co-star Casey Affleck in Oppenheimer. However, they would not share a scene together in Christopher Nolan’s historical epic. The two are set to star in an action-comedy-heist movie that brings them back to their native Boston in The Instigators. The heist film is co-written by Affleck, but will be directed by the Road House remake‘s Doug Liman. Affleck says, “The inspiration for this was definitely Midnight Run and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” He also stated that he’s always “wanted to do a buddy action comedy.”

Entertainment Weekly has the first look at The Instigators, which features images with the co-leads and their co-star Hong Chau, who recently worked with Damon in the critically and audience-panned Downsizing. The plot, according to EW says, “Damon costars as Rory, a desperate father who reluctantly joins forces with Cobby (Affleck), an ex-con, ‘to pull off a robbery of the ill-gained earnings of a corrupt politician,’ per the official synopsis. When the heist inevitably goes sideways, the unlikely pair ‘find themselves engulfed in a whirlwind of chaos, pursued not only by the police but also backward bureaucrats and vengeful crime bosses.’ Along the way, they somehow convince Rory’s therapist (Hong Chau) to join their ‘riotous getaway.'” The film also stars Jack Harlow, Paul Walter Hauser and Ving Rhames.

Affleck also puts the plot into his own words, saying, “The Instigators is about two strangers who are hired for a heist. They become frenemies and then become friends while Jack Harlow yells at us, Paul Walter Hauser insults us, Ving Rhames hunts us, and Hong Chau keeps us alive.” Damon says he was drawn to the project because “Casey Affleck and [co-writer] Chuck MacLean had created some great characters and a really fun world. More than anything, it was a chance to work with Doug and Casey together that I was the most excited about. And it’s always great to go back to Boston.”

Director Doug Liman kicked off the Bourne-portion of Damon’s career with 2002’s The Bourne Identity. Damon added, “I absolutely love working with Doug. I can’t believe it took us 20 years to find something else to do together. Doug is one of the most creatively tenacious people I’ve ever met. He just won’t stop until the movie is as good as it can be, and that is the best possible thing you can feel from a director. I trust him completely.” Liman reciprocated with his own excitement, “It was so fulfilling to see how each of us has grown. And by that, I mean to see how much Matt has grown. And not just as an actor.” He added, “With Bourne, I was inviting Matt into my world. But with Instigators, I was very clear being dropped into Matt’s family. And all that history, good and bad, is on the screen.”

The Instigators hits select theaters on August 2 before streaming globally on Apple TV+ on August 9.