Damon, Affleck on the Run

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are about to take on new roles, that of TV producers. Their reality-based series, “The Runner,” has been picked up by ABC for next fall, reports Reuters. The show will track one contestant on a cross-country trip while TV viewers are given clues to identify his or her whereabouts. Each day the contestant avoids capture, he or she will win a cash bonus. And if the player can remain at large for 28 days, he or she will win the game. “Anyone in America can catch him,” Lloyd Braun, co-chairman of ABC Entertainment Television told the news service. “If you catch him, you get the money accrued each week.” Braun explained that a former CIA operative will assist the runner, while a former police detective will coach viewers. Braun added that clues for the show will be divulged over the Internet as well as on ABC prime-time shows. Though their roles will be confined to behind the scenes, Damon, 30, and Affleck, 28, are no strangers to creative collaborations. They both picked up screenwriting Oscars for their 1997 script, “Good Will Hunting,” in which both starred.