Washington [US], March 16: Actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck has just taken a major step in his career as his artificial intelligence startup has been acquired by Netflix. The deal could bring Ben Affleck and investors up to $600 million if performance targets are met.
According to Bloomberg on March 12, this recently announced deal has significantly increased Ben Affleck 's estimated net worth of around $150 million . The 53-year-old actor, who currently serves as a senior advisor at the company, along with investors, will receive up to $600 million from Netflix, provided the company achieves certain operational goals.
This new deal helps Ben Affleck expand his film ambitions.
In an official statement, Ben Affleck said he "couldn't be happier" with the deal with Netflix. He quietly founded his company, InterPositive, in Los Angeles in 2022 with an initial team of 16 engineers, researchers, and creators.
In a Netflix video, the two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker shared that InterPositive was designed to address the problems he encountered during the filmmaking process.
According to Ben Affleck, this tool doesn't focus on creating content from text commands or producing a product from scratch. Instead, filmmakers build artificial intelligence models based on their own data and creative materials.
He explained that filmmakers must first create their film, and only then can they build an AI model around that work. Ben Affleck stated that his goal is to eliminate the logistical, technical, and complex process barriers that often hinder the creative process in filmmaking.
He believes that once these technical issues are resolved, the production process can be faster and easier. This would also lead to more creative options, giving viewers more favorite episodes and shows, and creating more job opportunities for people in the entertainment industry.
Ben Affleck emphasized that InterPositive's goal is to preserve the human element in the art of storytelling. He also affirmed that the company will develop technology based on shared values, along with Netflix's responsibility to apply and expand the technology cautiously.
According to Jennifer Lopez's ex-husband, this technology allows filmmakers to use their own models to edit many details in post-production, such as removing safety harnesses in action scenes, adjusting framing, recreating missed shots, changing lighting, or improving the background.
In addition to this technology project, since 2022 Ben Affleck has also been busy running the independent film company Artists Equity with his childhood friend Matt Damon and investor Gerry Cardinale of RedBird Capital.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have been close friends since childhood in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They co-wrote the screenplay for Gus Van Sant's acclaimed 1997 film, * Good Will Hunting* , which earned them an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
According to Deadline , in February, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon also confirmed they would serve as executive producers for director Tom McCarthy's untitled dark comedy drama, distributed by Sony Classics. The project features a cast including Paul Rudd, Evan Peters, Amy Ryan, Paul Giamatti, and Tatiana Maslany.
Additionally, Ben Affleck recently completed his sixth directorial film, titled *Animals *. In this project, he took on multiple roles including co-writer, producer, director, and actor, playing Los Angeles mayoral candidate Milo Bradford. This kidnapping thriller, released on Netflix, also stars Gillian Anderson, Kerry Washington, and Steven Yeun.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
