Gus Van Sant has reunited with his "Good Will Hunting" star and screenwriter Matt Damon for a new film that's slated to begin shooting this week in Pennsylvania.

Entitled "Promised Land", the drama will star Damon as a corporate salesman who arrives in a rural town with his business partner (Frances McDormand) to buy up drilling rights from the local residents - only to meet a formidable challenge in the form of a local schoolteacher (Hal Holbrook) and a grassroots organizer (John Krasinski).

The "Capra-esque" film, which also stars Rosemarie DeWitt ("Your Sister's Sister", "Rachel Getting Married"), Scoot McNairy ("Monsters", TV's "Bones") and Titus Welliver ("Argo", "Man on a Ledge"), was scripted by Damon and Krasinski (the two are also serving as producers) from a short story by Dave Eggers, who reportedly wrote an earlier draft of the script. Participant Media ("The Help", "Contagion") co-financed the film, and Focus Features holds worldwide distribution rights.

“Matt and I wanted to write a story about American identity," said Krasinski in a statement. "In all of today’s political and economic rhetoric, I feel people often lose sight of the deeper, core principles of what defines us as a country. We knew we needed to find a contemporary issue that would serve as the backdrop to the story but, more importantly, allow us to fully explore this idea.”

"Promised Land" is being eyed for release next winter.

Van Sant's last feature was the 2011 drama "Restless" starring Mia Wasikowska and Henry Hopper; he also directed the pilot for the Starz drama series "Boss" starring Kelsey Grammer and is currently developing an independent project starring "Twilight" heartthrob Taylor Lautner.

Damon, who of course won an Oscar for writing "Good Will Hunting" with Ben Affleck, last appeared on the big-screen in Cameron Crowe's "We Bought a Zoo". He'll next be seen in the sci-fi film "Elysium" from writer/director Neill Blomkamp ("District 9"), which is slated for release on March 1, 2013.

沪江娱乐快讯：焦点影业公布最新电影计划，知名导演格斯·范·桑特最新剧情片《承诺之地》（Promised Land）（暂译）已确定正式开机。马特·达蒙和约翰·卡拉辛斯基、弗兰西斯·麦克多蒙德等明星都会加盟出演。

本片由马特·达蒙和约翰·卡拉辛斯基两人共同担任编剧，根据戴夫·艾格斯的一个故事改编。马特·达蒙将出演一名天然气公司的推销员Steve Butler，与他的同事Sue Thomason（弗兰西斯·麦克多蒙德饰）前往一个小镇，希望获取当地的资源钻取权。那个小镇因为经济危机而变得没落，也十分需要这个项目获得复兴，一切看起来都非常简单。意外的是，当地一个德高望重的老师（哈尔·霍尔布鲁克饰）以及约翰·卡拉辛斯基的角色却开始组织抵制这个项目。马特·达蒙之前曾打算自己担任导演，不过最终的导演权还是转到了格斯·范·桑特的手中。

焦点影业Jeb Brody宣称马特·达蒙和约翰·卡拉辛斯基编写的这个剧本是一个弗兰克·卡普拉式的故事，幽默却又能打动人心，对当前时代也有非常重要的表现意义。约翰·卡拉辛斯基则希望这个故事能表现当前的美国文化，包括政治和经济，并深入观众内心。

本片将于本周在宾夕法尼亚州开机，计划明年冬天上映。