Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were in talks to produce a movie based on the 1973 Yankees players’ wife swap controversy. Damon and Affleck were initially tapped to play the two New York Yankees players, Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich. However, they later decided to only produce the film under Pearl Street Films, their earlier production house.
Their plans never took off as they faced resistance from Kekich, who influenced some of his fellow Yankee players to not cooperate with the film. Peterson passed away earlier this April after leading fifty-plus years of happy life with Kekich’s former wife, Susanne.
Matt Damon And Ben Affleck Once Planned To Produce The Trade Exploring Yankees Wife-Swapping Incident
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were not fans of the New York Yankees and found no problem in bringing one of the scandals tied to Yankees players onto the screen. In 2015, Damon and Affleck were set to produce The Trade, which explored the wife-swapping controversy between former Yankees pitchers Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson.
According to Page Six, Damon and Affleck were hellbent on moving forward with the film despite objections from Kekich. Kekich was reportedly “freaked out” when the news about the film came out. Kekich was not so unnerved when he and Peterson announced to the press that they had traded families back in 1973.
The swap worked out well for Peterson, who led a happy life with Kekich’s former wife, Susanne, until his death in April 2024. Kekich and Marilyn Peterson’s relationship didn’t last long and Kekich blamed Peterson for their decision. He shared with the New York Post that he would “like to kill him.”
Peterson, however, denied that the swap was anything dirty. He told Palm Beach Post in 2013 that it was a love story between him and Susanne and that he was happy with the life with her. He shared that the swap came as a blessing to him. He shared:
It’s a love story. It wasn’t anything dirty. I could not be happier with anybody in the world. ‘Mama’ and I go out and party every night. We’re still on the honeymoon and it has been a real blessing.
Kekich led a quiet life in New Mexico after the scandal and did not want the film to dig up his past. He persuaded several Yankees teammates not to cooperate either. His objection seemed to work eventually since Damon and Affleck eventually dropped the project.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Gestures Towards Each Other’s Wives Become Internet Talk
Ben Affleck was recently photographed together with Matt Damon’s wife Luciana Barroso as the two of them headed into a meeting in Los Angeles. According to Page Six, Affleck is seen giving a kiss on Barroso’s forehead. While it was nothing more than a friendly gesture, social media users have made it a topic of discussion.
The report comes a week after Damon was seen having an intimate conversation with Jennifer Lopez. At the Toronto International Film Festival, he held Lopez’s hand as they were photographed during their deep conversation (via PEOPLE).
Affleck would like to stay away from the paparazzi, especially after his separation from Lopez. The Get Right singer attended the festival to promote Unstoppable, a film produced by Affleck and Damon’s Artists Equity.
