Project Greenlight, the docu- TV series chronicling the search for a first-time director, while exploring the filmmaking process, will return to HBO for a new season, it was announced today by Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming. 

Executive producers of the new season include Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, who were executive producers of the previous two seasons on HBO, over a decade ago, in 2001 and 2003, as well as Adaptive Studios’ Marc Joubert, TJ Barrack, Perrin Chiles and Marshall Lewy, and Miramax’s Zanne Devine. 

“Project Greenlight was ahead of its time,” notes Affleck. “Now that technology has caught up to the concept, we thought it was a perfect time to bring it back. A whole new generation of filmmakers has grown up sharing everything, and the next big director could be just an upload away. It is really great having Project Greenlight back at HBO.”

Damon added, “Project Greenlight works – careers have been launched and sustained as a direct result of this contest. Pete Jones, John Gulager, Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan are just a few of the PGL alums who’ve gone on to do great things in Hollywood, and Ben and I are really proud of that.”

Spanning the entire filmmaking process, Project Greenlight takes a revealing, uncensored look at the challenges facing a first-time director. The show begins with a digital competition, following the winner from pre-production and casting through principal photography and post-production. Equipped with a “Hollywood-vetted” script and surrounded by a team of industry professionals, the fledgling director must learn to cope with pressure from the studio and producers to deliver an agreed upon completed project, while handling on-set politics and lead a veteran cast and crew, all while trying to deliver a viable movie – on schedule and on budget.

Project Greenlight will be produced for HBO by Adaptive Studios in association with Pearl Street Films and Miramax; executive producers, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Marc Joubert, TJ Barrack, Perrin Chiles, Marshall Lewy and Zanne Devine.

No word yet on how filmmakers can enter the initial digital competition from where a winner (or winners) will be selected.