Matt Damon, Ben Affleck to Produce Whitey Bulger Movie

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck will work together to produce a Whitey Bulger biopic, Damon told GQ magazine in an interview.

Another movie for and from the people of Boston! Fourteen years ago in 1997, of course, Damon and Affleck became known to the film industry with the drama Good Will Hunting.

Damon told GQ he would play Bulger and Affleck will co-star and direct, and both will produce. Terence Winter of HBO's Boardwalk Empire (and formerly The Sopranos) will write the movie's screenplay. Warner Bros. will distribute the film. Casey Affleck, that other Boston guy who is a brother of Ben and (of course) distant cousin of Matt Damon, will also have a supporting role in the film.

Matt and I have been looking for something to do together for some time, Affleck told Deadline. We've heard about Whitey Bulger since we were kids, and we are excited by the prospect of putting it on screen.

Bulger, of course, was arrested this June in Santa Monica, Calif., after being on the run as a fugitive for 16 years. He was the leader of the Boston-based Winter Hill Gang. Bulger, now 81, was arrested on federal charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, extortion, money laundering and distribution of narcotics, among other crimes.

According to GQ, there are other Bulger projects in the works,as well. That includes a project from producer Graham King, who won an Oscar for the Damon-starred and Martin Scorsese-directed film The Departed, which, ironically, was based loosely on Bulger's life. (Jack Nicholson played the Bulger-like character.) GQ mentions at least two other Bulger projects starting up.

There are a couple of competing movies and I don't think it's been announced yet that we're doing it, Damon says. But the sooner it's announced the better, just because everyone else will back off, hopefully. I'm really excited about it.

Damon and Affleck are still figuring out the logistics, like which parts of Bulger's life they'll touch on most.

With The Departed and The Town from these two in the past five years, we just haven't had enough Damon, Affleck and Boston. Get ready, chowderheads. Your life through the eyes of Affleck and Damon continues.