Ben Affleck, Matt Damon to produce FIFA scandal movie - Los Angeles Times
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Ben Affleck, Matt Damon to produce FIFA scandal movie

Matt Damon, left, and Ben Affleck will produce a film about the FIFA soccer organization scandal.

Matt Damon, left, and Ben Affleck will produce a film about the FIFA soccer organization scandal.

(Jason LaVeris / FilmMagicGetty Images)
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Batman and Jason Bourne are teaming up to take on a new scourge: FIFA corruption.

That is, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are looking to produce a film based on “Houses of Deceit” -- Ken Bensinger’s forthcoming book about the recent scandal that has rocked soccer’s international governing body -- for Warner Bros., which just acquired the film rights.

A person familiar with the project who asked not to be identified confirmed the news to The Times. The news was first reported by the Hollywood Reporter.

Director Gavin O’Connor, who recently wrapped Warner Bros.’ Affleck-starring thriller “The Accountant,” is attached to helm the FIFA movie, working from a script by his frequent collaborator Anthony Tambakis (“Warrior,” “Jane Got a Gun”).

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Bensinger’s book, which is slated for publication in 2017, will expand on his 2014 report about Chuck Blazer, the American FIFA executive who helped popularize soccer in the U.S. but also admitted in 2013 to accepting millions in bribes and kickbacks over the course of his career. (Bensinger is a former Times reporter who now works for Buzzfeed.)

The new movie promises a much more critical look at the organization than the recently released “United Passions,” a FIFA-bankrolled feature that was panned by critics and grossed an embarrassing $918 at the U.S. box office during its opening weekend.

Warners’ FIFA film will also serve as a reunion of sorts for Affleck and Damon, who launched their Hollywood careers together with 1997’s “Good Will Hunting.”

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Affleck will next be seen on screen in “The Accountant,” which opens Jan. 29, and “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” which opens March 25.

Damon’s upcoming movies as an actor include “The Martian,” opening Oct. 2, and the next installment of the “Bourne” franchise, opening in July 2016.

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