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HBO is canceling Project Greenlight

HBO is canceling Project Greenlight

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Its revival was controversial and lasted just one season

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HBO is ending Project Greenlight, the movie-making reality show spearheaded by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck that ran for four seasons across HBO and Bravo. Its first three seasons aired between 2001 and 2005, and the show laid dormant for a decade before being revived by HBO for a single season last year. Damon broke the news in an interview with The Associated Press while promoting his new movie Jason Bourne. "I really liked it and thought that the show went great," said Damon. "I'm not one to question [their programming]. They do such a great job. But we have to take it out again." HBO confirmed the cancelation in a statement to Variety, among other publications: "When we picked up a new season in 2014, we imagined a one-season revival and decided in early 2016 another season did not make sense for us."

Project Greenlight's fourth season was less remarkable for the movie it chronicled — Jason Mann's The Leisure Class — than the debate about representation and diversity in film it sparked. Damon, Mann, and other members of the production team clashed with producer Effie Brown regarding the importance of diversity in the hiring process, a conflict that necessitated an apology from Damon after the season premiere aired. The ensuing conversation about Hollywood's unwitting ignorance ended up being more fascinating than the movie being produced. And while the show's run on HBO is finished, there could be more Project Greenlight made in the future: Damon implied he'd shop future seasons of the show to streaming services like Amazon and Netflix.


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