Close friends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are to set co-star and co-produce ‘The Last Duel,’ a revenge drama that has Ridley Scott behind the camera.
Penned by Damon, Affleck and Oscar-nominated Nicole Holofcener (‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?,’ ‘Enough Said’) and based on Eric Jager’s book of the same name, the drama tells the story of the December 29, 1386 trial by combat between Norman knight Jean de Carrouges and the squire Jacques Le Gris.
Carrouges had accused Le Gris of raping his wife Marguerite de Carrouges, that previous January. No one will believed the woman, and Carrouges appealed to King Charles VI to undo a decision handed down by Count Pierre d’Alençon, whom Carrouges believed favoured Le Gris. The decision handed down was that the two men fight a duel to the death. The one left alive would be declared the winner as a sign of God’s will. Moreover, if Carrouges loses, his wife would be burned at the stake as a punishment for her false accusation.
Damon and Affleck will produce through their Pearl Street banner, alongside Scott and Kevin Walsh for Scott Free.