There exist certain film projects which, upon release, fail to impress audiences as they suffer at the box office. However, as the years roll on by, these seemingly maligned projects begin to garner an impressive following.Matt Damon’s 1998 poker focused feature,Rounders, falls squarely into that bracket. While the film had suffered at the box office early on, it seems to have picked up more fans in recent times. A project from directorJohn Dahl,Rounderswas focused on underground, high-stakes poker tournaments. While promoting his latest role in Apple’sThe Instigators, Damon has revealed a desire to return to Dahl’s work in a potential sequel.
Speaking as a guest onRoku Channel‘sThe Rich Eisen ShowviaThe Hollywood Reporter, Damon was quizzed regarding the possibility of his previous movies getting a sequel. The actor revealed a desire to return for moreRoundersaction in a potential sequel. The 1998 original co-starredEdward Norton,John Turturro,John MalkovichandGretchen Mol. On a potentialRounderssequel, the star said:
“The one that we’ve been talking about for years — and I just saw Edward Norton a few weeks ago, [and] all of us want to do it — is a secondRoundersmovie. Because so much has happened in that poker world in the last 25 years, it would be fun to catch up with those guys.”
Such optimistic comments from Damon would only serve to drive excitement in the hearts of those who yearn for aRounderssequel.The Instigatorsstar goes on to reveal that conversations were held over a decade ago withthe film’s screenwritersDavid LevienandBrian Koppelman, the duo responsible for the creation of the Showtimesmash hit seriesBillions. The pair already had a story in mind, and now, Damon believes it is one that can be adapted for this day and age. “What they had 10 years ago, I thought, was fantastic, and I’m sure they could augment and roll with the times and update it to where we are today and make something great,” he added.
Why Has a ‘Rounders’ Sequel Been Delayed?
Having been released 26 years ago,Roundershas been around a long time, which begs the question. Why has a sequel not been made in all that time? Damon reveals that the hold up is linked to rights issues for the film, which was released in September 1998. “You’ve got to figure out the chain of title and who owns it, and everybody’s got their hand in the pot,” the actor said. “So we’ve got to figure out a way to make a deal that makes sense for everybody, particularly the people who are going to make the movie because at Artists Equity, that’s who we care about, are the cast and crew. We’re trying to figure that out because I think we’d all like to do that.”
Roundersis available to stream on Prime Video. Stay tuned to Collider for updates.
