Matt Damon Reveals He and Ben Affleck Nearly Starred in Gay Baseball Film Adaptation

Actor Matt Damon shared on January 13, 2026, during an interview on SiriusXM's "Andy Cohen Live" that he and longtime collaborator Ben Affleck nearly made a film adaptation of "The Dreyfus Affair", a novel depicting a gay romance between two professional baseball players. Damon and Affleck, who grew up together in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and co-wrote the Oscar-winning "Good Will Hunting" in 1997, discussed their childhood connection when host Andy Cohen referenced the recent popularity of queer sports romances like "Heated Rivalry".

The conversation turned personal when Cohen joked about Damon and Affleck's "bromance"and asked if they played hockey as kids. Damon corrected him, saying, “Little League Baseball. No, we did not play hockey. ” He then referenced "The Dreyfus Affair: A Love Story", a 1993 novel by Peter Lefcourt, responding to Cohen's surprise by saying, “I don’t know if you’ve read "The Dreyfus Affair". It’s a different sport. ”

Damon confirmed the pair had pursued an adaptation, stating, “We almost made it years ago. The script just wasn’t good enough but the story is, the book was great. ” The book centers on Randy Dreyfus, a married baseball superstar and shortstop, who falls in love with his Black teammate D. J. Pickett, a second baseman, exploring impacts on their lives, families, team, and addressing homophobia and racism in professional sports. It draws satirical parallels to the historical Dreyfus Affair, a late-19th-century scandal involving antisemitism and injustice in France.

This disclosure comes amid heightened interest in LGBTQ+ sports narratives, boosted by "Heated Rivalry", a steamy ice hockey romance adaptation that has gained viral attention. Damon was promoting "The Rip" his new film with Affleck, and mentioned upcoming projects like Ridley Scott's "The Odyssey". He has prior experience with queer representation, portraying Liberace's lover Scott Thorson in the 2013 film "Behind the Candelabra" and a sexually ambiguous Tom Ripley in "The Talented Mr. Ripley", earning a Golden Globe nomination for the latter.

For transgender people and others in the LGBTQ+ community, stories like "The Dreyfus Affair" hold significance by envisioning authentic queer relationships in male-dominated sports like baseball, where out gay athletes remain rare. A Damon-Affleck version in the late 1990s or early 2000s could have advanced on-screen visibility for gay men in sports decades ahead of current projects. Queer sports media continues to expand, with "Heated Rivalry" season two filming this summer and the sapphic softball series "Slo Pitch" upcoming.

The interview clip circulated widely on social media, including a post by @damonlibrary on X , amplifying Damon's comments. While no official community responses from organizations like GLAAD have emerged yet, the story underscores persistent demand for LGBTQ+-affirming narratives in Hollywood and sports. Damon and Affleck's near-miss represents a missed milestone in queer cinema, yet revives interest in Lefcourt's novel amid today's more receptive climate for such tales.