Matt Damon & Ben Affleck Back For Good Will Hunting Sequel

Good Will Casting

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - Fans of the classic 1997 movie Good Will Hunting are either incredibly excited or dangerously morose about the news that Miramax has approved immediate production of a sequel to the smash hit that starred Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Mini Driver, Casey Affleck, Cole Hauser, Stellan Skarsgard and the late and great Robin Williams.

Damon & Affleck 'Psyched' About Good Will Hunting Sequel

The sequel to Gus Van Sant's outstanding directorial effort, Good Will Hunting (1997), written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, moved closer to a celluloid reality as pre-production on the science-fiction drama has already begun at Miramax Studios.

"We're totally pumped," said Damon. "Ben and I wrote the original screenplay and it was definitely my breakout performance as an actor. It's one of those movies that almost nobody dislikes, unlike Gigli. We wrote this one on Skype, just an hour per day over the few months. It's finally ready to go."

"I was going to direct it," said Affleck, who recently broke the news that he's going to helm the director's chair for his stand-alone Batman movie, where he will reprise his role as Gotham's Caped Crusader. "I decided to let Gus [Van Sant] have it because my character, Chucky Sullivan, is going to have a much larger role."

"Working with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck again is something I think about whenever I cash one of my royalty checks," said Van Sant. "We really nailed the first one, and in some respects, I think the story they came up with for the sequel is even better."

Spoiler Warning: Plot Of Good Will Hunting 2

TrendSmasher learned that the sequel will take place 20 years after the original, with Will Hunting (Matt Damon) returning to Boston to pay his respects to psychologist Sean Maguire (Robin Williams).

"We're going to start with Will going home to pay his respects to a dear friend," Damon said. "He's going to reunite with his old pals Chucky Sullivan, Morgan O'Mally, and Billy McBride. Will's wife, Skylar Hunting (Minnie Driver) will stay in California with their 12 kids."

According to the leaked treatment, Will will meet up with Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard), now director of the Brain Institute of Boston (BIB) and the two will work together on a formula that will greatly increase human intelligence. After getting tearfully drunk at a local Southie dive bar, Chucky confesses to will that has felt like the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz his entire life and wanted to be smarter.

Good Will Hunting 2: Only The Smart Will Survive

Will decides to help his dear friend and overnight Chucky is transformed into the smartest person in the world. The increased intelligence makes Chucky unstable and he turns to a life of crime, immediately recruiting hedge fund manager Clark (Scott William Winters) and Carmine Scarpaglia (Rob Lyons) to be his henchmen.

Clark, the Michael Bolton look-alike from the original was the Harvard student Will embarrassed and Scarpaglia was the kid Will beat up because he had bullied him in kindergarten. Will and Chucky proceed to engage in a battle of wits where only the smart will survive.

"It's going to be a true character study," said Damon. "Now with Chucky as the smart one, how is Will going to handle it?"

Mixed Reception From Good Will Hunting Fans

"This is going to be awesome," wrote goodwill939 on Yahoo!. "I hope they change Will's last name to 'Bourne'."

"Good Will Hunting is my favorite movie of all time," said Anabelle Wretchmeyer in her weekly movie podcast. "I'm not so sure how I feel about this. I mean, it sounds a bit contrived and ridiculous."

Even President Donald Trump weighed in on the upcoming film.

"I liked the first movie because I like movies about smart people," said Trump. "If it's good, I'll like it and if it isn't, I'll call the original 'overrated'. It's a win-win for me."