Matt Damon's New Direction With John Krasinki

By Emma Koonse, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, October 20, 2011

Actor Matt Damon is trying his hand at directing alongside John Krasinki in an untitled Warner Bros. drama.

Co-writing with “The Office” star Krasinki, Damon is taking his skills a step further this time, making his directorial debut with the film. A variety of reports indicate that the 41-year-old actor will also be working with author Dave Eggers, but plot details are scarce.

Damon will play a salesman who moves to a small town in America and experiences a life change, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The script has been described as being reminiscent of “Erin Brockovich” of 2000, which starred Julia Roberts.

Although Damon and longtime friend Ben Affleck have a production company, Pearl Street, the untitled film will be produced under Krasinki’s company, Sunday Night.

Krasinki wrote and directed “Brief Interviews With Hideous Men,” as well as two episodes of “The Office.”

Krasinki reportedly approached Damon with the idea for the script, and the two will star in the film – speculated to start production in the spring.

Damon got his start in Hollywood by co-writing and starring in “Good Will Hunting” in 1997 with Ben Affleck. The Boston-bred pair won an academy Award for Best Screenplay as well as a Golden Globe, and Damon coveted multiple Best Actor nominations for the film.

Last year, Warner Bros. bought Damon’s script, “Father Daughter Time: A Tale of Armed Robbery and Eskimo Kisses,” and it is unclear which project will come first.

Damon is currently on the big screen in “Contagion,” which also stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburn, Kate Winslet, and Marion Cotillard.

Work is underway for Damon on HBO Film’s biopic by Steven Soderbergh, “Behind the Candelabra,” where he plays the love interest of a flamboyant pianist, Liberace. Michael Douglas also stars, but no airdate has been released yet.

The busy actor also takes the lead in the forthcoming drama, “We Bought A Zoo” in which Scartlett Johansson appears. The Cameron Crowe-directed film is set for release this Christmas.