Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)

HBO didn’t renew ‘Project Greenlight,’ Damon says

- By Lindsey Bahr

LOS ANGELES » “Project Greenlight” won’t be getting a fifth season on HBO.

Matt Damon told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he was shocked that HBO didn’t pick up his and Ben Affleck’s show, which chronicles the production of an independen­t film.

“I really liked it and thought that the show went great,” Damon said while promoting the latest “Jason Bourne” film. “I’m not one to question (their programmin­g). They do such a great job. But we have to take it out again.”

Damon said that that they’ll start shopping the show around, and he thinks that a streaming service like Amazon or Netflix might be a good fit.

“There are places where I think we could do really well,” he said.

“Project Greenlight” aired on HBO for its first two seasons from 2001 to 2003, before moving to Bravo for season three in 2005. The show came back to HBO for a fourth season last year to much buzz and some controvers­y starting with Damon’s comments regarding diversity, for which he later apologized.

The show this past season, which was centered on the production of director Jason Mann’s dark parlor comedy “The Leisure Class,” became a cultural touchpoint.

Even in production, it already seemed like a relic of a different era, with its white male director focusing on wealthy, mainly white characters at a time when diversity In this file photo, Ben Affleck, left, and Matt Damon attend the “Project Greenlight” premiere of “The Leisure Class” in Los Angeles. Damon said in an interview that he was shocked that that HBO didn’t pick up “Project Greenlight” for a fifth season. The series chronicles the production of an independen­t film. Damon says that that they’ll start shopping the show around again, and thinks that there are places like Netflix or Amazon where it might thrive for additional seasons. and representa­tion in film were in the spotlight more than ever. Producer Effie Brown became a breakout star of the season, providing fascinatin­g insight and commentary week to week on those issues while also overseeing the production of the film.

A representa­tive from HBO said in a statement that it was initially imagined as a one-season revival and that they decided in early 2016 that another season “did not make sense for us.”

“We are proud of the show and were pleased with its run throughout the years,” HBO said.

The Aurora, a boutique cruise liner, is small with only 10 cabins and luxurious with chandelier­s and endless champagne. Journalist­s, a photograph­er, investors and even a model comprise the passenger list for the maiden voyage and among them we meet Lo Blacklock, a travel journalist with a withering love life and a vexing drinking problem. And so begins “The Woman in Cabin 10,” Ruth Ware’s snappy thriller set on the high seas.

After a lavish welcome dinner, Lo is awakened by a scream from the room next door and the sound of what she believes is a body hitting the water. But the head of security investigat­es and shows Lo that the room is empty. He suggests that she’s had too much to drink (which might be true) and dismisses her claims. Adding to the confusion: All of the

 ?? PHOTO BY PAUL A. HEBERT — INVISION — AP, FILE ??
PHOTO BY PAUL A. HEBERT — INVISION — AP, FILE

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