In addition to starring in it, Damon also co-wrote the film. Damon to star in fracking film

Matt Damon will star in “The Promised Land,” an anti-fracking movie set to begin filming later this month.

WME Agency, which represents Damon, confirmed that the “Good Will Hunting” star has signed on to the movie and co-wrote the film, and that it is, indeed, about hydraulic fracturing — the controversial practice of pumping a mixture of sand, water and chemicals into a well to break up rock and help extract natural gas.


Damon’s publicity firm, Viewpoint Inc. and PR representatives from Focus Features, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from POLITICO.

The IMDB page for the movie offers few details of the plot, only that “a salesman experiences life-changing events after arriving in a small town.”

The project also boasts some other big names.

John Krasinski (“The Office”) and Rosemarie DeWitt (“Mad Men,” “United States of Tara”) have signed on to the film. Director Gus Van Sant, who shot “Good Will Hunting,” “Milk” and “Finding Forrester,” has signed on to direct the film, which is in pre-production, according to IMDB.

Filming is slated to begin in the Pittsburgh area later this month and run through early June, according to the Pittsburgh Film Office. The film is holding a casting call in Pittsburgh on Saturday to fill parts for “great character faces, farmer looks, senior citizens, baseball players, upscale men and women with formal wear, teens and kids.”

Movies about fracking have been springing up ever since the Josh Fox-directed film “Gasland,” catapulted the practice into the national spotlight. It was nominated for the Academy Award for best documentary feature in 2011.

News about the plot of “Promised Land” was posted Monday by the directors of “FrackNation” — a pro-fracking movie that is being funded through Kickstarter.

“We want to make FrackNation because we want the truth about fracking to be told,” the directors wrote on the fundraising site. “But it will not be easy getting the message out with a sequel to 'Gasland' in the works and now a big budget Hollywood movie concentrating on scare stories rather than true stories. Now, we recognize Hollywood movies don't have to be truthful — they just have to be entertaining, but it's likely that PROMISED LAND will increase unfounded concerns about fracking.”

This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 5:26 p.m. on April 5, 2012.