The Last Duel is an upcoming historical drama movie based on a true story with a “five-star” cast including Adam Driver and Matt Damon.
Let’s find out more about the movie!
- The Last Duel is an upcoming historical drama.
- It is based on the book The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France by Eric Jager.
- It is directed by Ridley Scott.
- The screenplay is written by Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon.
- The film stars Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, Affleck, Harriet Walter, Nathaniel Parker, Sam Hazeldine, Michael McElhatton, and Alex Lawther.
- An adaptation of Jager’s book was first announced in 2015, though it was not officially greenlit
- It was officially greenlit on July 2019.
- Affleck and Damon were confirmed as stars and co-writers that month, with Comer and Driver joining the cast that fall.
- Filming took place in France and Ireland from February to October 2020, with a hiatus of several months due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Last Duel will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September 2021.
- It is scheduled to be released in the United States on October 15, 2021, by 20th Century Studios.
- In 14th-century France, Marguerite de Thibouville claims she has been raped by her husband’s best friend. Her husband, knight Jean de Carrouges, challenges his friend and squire Jacques Le Gris to trial by combat. It is the last legally sanctioned duel in France’s history.
- The project was initially announced in July 2015, with Francis Lawrence planning to direct the film, and Shaun Grant writing the screenpl. However, no further development was announced on it, and the film rights eventually lapsed.
- In July 2019, Deadline Hollywood announced that Ridley Scott was planning to direct the film with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon set to star, as well as write the screenplay with Nicole Holofcener.
- With Walt Disney Studios holding the rights to the film as a result of the Disney–Fox merger, it was unknown if the company would produce the film owing to its subject matter however, Deadline Hollywood added that “every studio in town was waiting in the wings” should Disney sell the rights.
- In September, Jodie Comer entered negotiations to join the cast, and was confirmed the following month, with Adam Driver entering negotiations to join the film after Affleck opted to play a different supporting role
- Driver was confirmed in November, with Disney stating it would distribute the film by setting a release date.
- The reason why Adam Driver took the leading role insted of Ben Affleck was to avoid a scheduling conflict with the production of Adrian Lyne’s Deep Water (2022), in which Affleck is attached to star.
- Harriet Walter was added to the cast in February 2020.
- Filming began on February 14, 2020 in Dordogne, France.
- It continued until March 12, 2020 in the medieval castle of Berzé-le-Châtel (near Mâcon), Burgundy, France (with a film crew of 300 people including 100 extras.
- Filming was to have taken place in Ireland, using locations at Bective Abbey, County Meath and Cahir Castle, County Tipperary and various locations across Dublin and County Wicklow from March 23, 2020 to March 30, 2020.
- However, on March 13, 2020, Disney announced that the studio had to delay the shoot indefinitely amid concerns for the cast and crew in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as well as travel restrictions in Europe.
- Filming eventually resumed in late September 2020 and production concluded in Ireland on October 14, 2020.
- The first movie that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have written together since Good Will Hunting (1997).
- Additionally, this is also the first movie that Matt Damon has written that was not directed by Gus Van Sant.
- During the suspension of filming during the COVID-19 pandemic Adam Driver was cast in Ridley Scott’s next film House of Gucci.
- So, the two of them reunited to begin shooting their second movie together only four months after the completion of this film.
- Matt Damon said him and Ben Affleck brought on Nicole Holofcener to help them write the female perspectives of the screenplay.
- The release date was set for Christmas 2020, but was pushed back to October 2021 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
