Matt Damon and Edward Norton

Matt Damon’s Return to the Poker Tables

While Matt Damon was spotted back in March getting up close and personal with a grizzly bear on the set of We Bought a Zoo (pics here), there’s still no word as to when filming will begin for Rounders 2, the much-anticipated sequel to Rounders that many fans of casino games and poker have been eagerly awaiting. Both Damon and Ed Norton are slated to reprise their role in the original, with the sequel rumored to provide much of the same fare as the original plus delving into the world of online poker as well.

Unlike many poker and casino movies that go for glamor or silly kitschy fun, Rounders was praised by many for the realistic look into the world of poker that it provided. In the original Damon’s character Mike McDermott is torn between the lure of the cards and pursuing a law school degree, continually sucked into the world of casinos and underground poker games despite his best efforts to walk the straight and narrow line.

Poker is one of the few casino games (along with blackjack and video poker) that can be profitable for savvy, skilled players, making poker a popular topic in many films including Casino Royale, Lucky You, and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, as well as older classics including The Cincinnati Kid, Maverick, and The Sting. The original Rounders got off to a slow start in the box office but quickly became a cult hit and praised by many as the best poker movie of all time.

Rounders 2 is slated for release in 2012 and will see Damon and Ed Norton reprise their roles, with no word yet on whether John Malkovich will make a return as the Mike McDermott’s nemesis Teddy KGB. Matt Damon has been in the poker spotlight already in 2011 but not for the reasons he might want, as he was named as a participant in high stakes games with Brad Ruderman, a hedge fund manager who used investor money to lose millions playing with the likes of Damon, Tobey Maguire, Ben Affleck, and Leonardo DiCaprio.