Matt Damon is one of those actors (and producers) who seldom pigeon-hole themselves in one particular genre. He has done comedy, hard-hitting drama, action, and pretty much everything in between. However, even with that extensive resume, it now looks like one of his next projects will take him into some fairly uncharted territory. That's because his new film, Charlatan, will take aim at a tale about a snake oil salesman who fakes a cure for male impotence. You read that correctly; now it is time to unpack this utterly insane true story.
Based on the 2008 book Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam by Pope Brock, Charlatan will center its story on Matt Damon's John R. Brinkley -- a doctor who achieved massive success in the early 1900s by hocking a fake cure for impotence. What was Brinkley's remedy for this ailment? He would surgically implant goat testicles inside the bodies of willing men, which he claimed would help rejuvenate a man's virility, in addition to fixing other physical conditions. Needless to say, the medical merit of remedy eventually came into question, and despite his success, Brinkley ultimately found himself taken to court after several deaths occurred after performing the procedure.
Aside from the film's utterly absurd (albeit true) premise, there's plenty to get excited about in terms of talent behind the scenes. Matt Damon is headlining the affair, but Variety reports that Charlatan will also re-team him with Kimberly Steward -- whom he similarly worked with on Manchester by the Sea. Charlatan admittedly sounds like an entirely different beast from Kenneth Lonergan's tear-jerker, but if it can deliver the same amount of power, emotion, and all-around competent storytelling, then there's quite a bit to look forward to with this particular project.
Charlatan is the latest in a long line of projects for Matt Damon in recent years, as the 46-year-old actor has kept himself incredibly busy as an actor and a producer. In addition to his recent roles in The Martian and The Great Wall, as well as his return to the Bourne franchise with Jason Bourne, the actor also debuted two movies on the festival circuit this year (Suburbicon and Downsizing) which will open for wide releases later this year. That said, amid all of these projects, Charlatan sounds like one of the weirdest and most audacious of the bunch. Movies about goat testicles and impotence will have that effect on people.
CinemaBlend will keep you up to date with more details related to Charlatan as new information related to the bizarre true story becomes available to us. As for Matt Damon's other upcoming projects, make sure to watch out for him in Suburbicon on October 27, as well as Downsizing, which will debut in theaters later this year on December 22.
