Steven Spielberg and Ben Affleck’s Feud Nearly Sank a Hollywood Thriller

Few behind-the-scenes stories in Hollywood are as surprising as the rift between Steven Spielberg and Ben Affleck, a feud that nearly torpedoed Mike Binder’s thriller, Man About Town. During a recent appearance on Stephen Baldwin’s One Bad Movie podcast, Binder recounted the strange series of events that unfolded after Spielberg expressed interest in working with him following the release of The Upside of Anger in 2005.Spielberg’s Interest Turns SourAfter being impressed by Binder’s previous film, Spielberg reached out to discuss a potential collaboration. Binder recalled,“We were talking about power and the struggles, and he was going through a thing where someone broke into his house—it was crazy. So I wrote this thing for him.”The two began developing a screenplay, with Spielberg initially set to direct and produce under DreamWorks. However, Spielberg eventually stepped back from directing, agreeing only to produce the project. At the same time, Ben Affleck, having seen The Upside of Anger, showed interest in starring in Binder’s new film. When Binder brought Affleck’s name to Spielberg, the director immediately rejected the idea. Spielberg explained,“No, can’t do it with him. We just bombed with a movie with him. He’s got that whole JLo thing going on now, and I have other problems with him.”The Poolside Incident and Fallout Binder then learned the real reason behind Spielberg’s reluctance. Spielberg recounted a trip to Spain years earlier, when Affleck was dating Spielberg’s goddaughter, Gwyneth Paltrow. During the trip, Affleck, fully clothed, was pushed into a pool by Spielberg’s young son. Affleck, upset, pulled the boy into the water, making him cry. Spielberg told Binder,“I just don’t like to work with him. Plus, his last two movies bombed. He’s cold as hell.”Binder respected Spielberg’s wishes but found the reasoning petty. Eventually, he had to inform Affleck’s agent that Affleck wouldn’t be cast. Affleck later called Binder, asking,“Did Steven Spielberg tell you I threw his kid in the water? Is that why I’m not on your movie?”Binder pressed Spielberg to reconsider, and Spielberg seemed to relent. But soon after, Spielberg’s agent called to say DreamWorks was dropping the project. Without DreamWorks’ support, the film was nearly shelved until Lionsgate picked it up for a straight-to-DVD release.Oscar Night and Changing TidesBinder shared that Affleck and Spielberg eventually moved past their differences, especially after Affleck’s film Argo won the Oscar over Spielberg’s Lincoln. Binder joked with Affleck that he could now get away with tossing Spielberg’s whole family into a pool.Clashing Views on Streaming and AwardsTheir disagreements didn’t end there. In 2019, Spielberg publicly opposed allowing streaming service films to compete for Oscars, arguing they should be eligible for Emmys instead. Affleck, on the other hand, supported streaming platforms, saying they were shaping the future of movies and distribution. He told TODAY,“To do a movie for Netflix is no different from doing a movie anywhere else. We’re just trying to do our job.”Affleck added that movies would survive, and people were working to define what that would look like. With such deep-seated differences, it’s unlikely these two Hollywood heavyweights will join forces on a project anytime soon. Man About Town is currently available to stream on Fubo and Starz with AppleTV.

Steven Spielberg and Ben Affleck’s Feud Nearly Sank a Hollywood Thriller

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