Joe Carnahan’s new crime thriller “The RIP” stars Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Teyana Taylor and Sasha Calle.
While Affleck’s next directorial effort, “Animals,” only recently completed production, he’s keeping busy in front of the camera with “The RIP.” Netflix, which is also handling “Animals,” recently boarded the film and has now set it up with a January 16, 2026 streaming date.
Yes, this means that a film starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck will be skipping theaters entirely, opting instead for a straight-to-streaming launch early next year.
“The RIP” follows a group of Miami cops whose trust begins to unravel after they find millions in cash inside a derelict stash house. Once word of the haul leaks out, things get messy, and no one knows whom they can trust anymore.
Carnahan wrote the script and shopped it around before Affleck and Damon jumped on board, which, let’s face it, always helps get a project moving. Netflix came in shortly after.
As for Carnahan, his 2002 breakout “Narc” is still the best thing he’s done — raw, intense, and stylish in all the right ways. Everything since has lived in its shadow. He’s leaned hard into pulpy, high-octane genre fare. His other directing credits include “The Grey,” “Smokin’ Aces,” “Copshop,” “Stretch,” “Boss Level,” and “The A-Team.”
“The RIP” has the potential to be a return to form — or at the very least, a solid addition to Carnahan’s gritty crime-flick canon, especially as he’s coming off this year’s perfunctory “Shadow Force,” which cost $60M and was a critical and commercial bomb.