LOS ANGELES, Calif. – “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 centred on the production of director Jason Mann’s dark parlour 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 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.
