Ben Affleck Battles Alcoholism While Coaching Basketball in First Trailer for THE WAY BACK
Ben Affleck has teamed back up with The Accountant director Gavin O’Connor for a heavy new film project called The Way Back. The drama follows a former high school basketball star who has lost his way in life and has been crippled by alcoholism. While he is living in this rock bottom state of life, an opportunity presents itself for him to coach basketball at his old high school. This is a chance for him to turn his life around.
This looks like an incredibly moving film, and there’s no doubt it was a very personal project for Affleck to be a part of as he has been open about his own real-life alcoholism issues and his rehabilitation. The film certainly tells a powerful story.
Here’s the synopsis that was released:
Jack Cunningham (Ben Affleck) once had a life filled with promise. In high school, he was a basketball phenom with a full university scholarship, when suddenly, for reasons unknown, he walked away from the game, forfeiting his future. Now years later, Jack is spiraling down, triggered by an unspeakable loss, and drowning in the alcoholism that cost him his marriage and any hope for a better life. When he is asked to coach the basketball team at his alma mater, which has fallen far since his glory days, he reluctantly accepts, surprising no one more than himself. As the boys start to come together as a team and win, Jack may have finally found a reason to confront the demons that have derailed him. But will it be enough to fill the void, heal the deep wounds of his past, and set him on the road to redemption?
The movie also stars Al Madrigal (Night School), Michaela Watkins (Brittany Runs a Marathon), Janina Gavankar (True Blood), and Glynn Turman (Bumblebee) and was written by Brad Ingelsby (Run All Night, Out of the Furnace).
The Way Back arrives in theaters on March 6, 2020.