Matt Damon is teaming with Spotlight director Tom McCarthy and Participant Media on a new feature project, Stillwater.
In the feature, which is set to begin production in August, Damon will play an American oil-rig roughneck from Oklahoma who travels to Marseille in France to visit his estranged daughter, imprisoned for a murder she claims she did not commit. Confronted with language barriers, cultural differences and a complicated legal system, he makes it his personal mission to exonerate his daughter. In the process, he develops a friendship with a local woman and her young daughter and embarks on a personal journey of discovery and a larger sense of belonging in the world.
McCarthy wrote the screenplay with Thomas Bidegain and Noé Debré.
Jonathan King, Liza Chasin and McCarthy will produce, with the late Steve Golin receiving producer credit. Jeff Skoll and Mari Jo Winkler-Ioffreda will executive produce.
Participant will produce and finance Stillwater through Amblin Partners. The film is planned for release through Participant’s output arrangements via Amblin Partners, while Focus Features will distribute domestically and Universal Pictures International will distribute in select international territories.
Damon, who is repped by WME, will next be seen starring opposite Christian Bale in Fox’s upcoming drama Ford v Ferrari, which is due out Nov. 15.
McCarthy just wrapped up production on the Disney+ family feature Timmy Failure. He is repped by Gersh and Frankfurt Kurnit.
