It looks like Ben Affleck has been working on a new project for some time now, and it’s called The Way Back. Warner Bros. synopsis on the movie is as follows:
Jack Cunningham (Ben Affleck) once had a life filled with promise. In high school, he was a basketball phenom with a full university scholarship, when suddenly, for reasons unknown, he walked away from the game, forfeiting his future. Now years later, Jack is spiraling down, triggered by an unspeakable loss, and drowning in the alcoholism that cost him his marriage and any hope for a better life.
When he is asked to coach the basketball team at his alma mater, which has fallen far since his glory days, he reluctantly accepts, surprising no one more than himself. As the boys start to come together as a team and win, Jack may have finally found a reason to confront the demons that have derailed him. But will it be enough to fill the void, heal the deep wounds of his past, and set him on the road to redemption?
I must admit I got excited at the end of the trailer when I saw the “BRON” logo because I though it was co-produced by LeBron James somehow. Thought for sure we were gonna get a LeBron cameo as the tough head coach of the crosstown rival who would eventually taste defeat at the hands of Coach Affleck. I guess we’ll just have to wait for Space Jam to see the King on the big screen for only the second time since his legendary performance in Trainwreck.
The Way Back is basically Coach Carter meets Crazy Heart…and I am here for it. I’m sure the story will be pretty cliché (starts off an addict, accepts the job, starts doing better/team begins to win, he falls off the wagon again, then he gives up booze for good and they win a championship or something) but I don’t care. Ben Affleck has been going through some serious personal and family shit the past few years and I think this movie is super personal for him. He himself has admitted to being an alcoholic, so I think the story really spoke to him, plus he’s teaming back up with his director from The Accountant, which was badass too. What can I say? I’m a sucker for feel-good sports movies.
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