Matt Damon and Ben Affleck to reunite for Nike biopic
The film will follow Nike’s early pursuit of basketball star Michael Jordan
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Your support makes all the difference.Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are set to reunite once again in a new Nike biopic, it has been reported.
The untitled picture – from Amazon Studios, Mandalay Pictures and Skydance Sports – will follow former Nike executive Sonny Vaccarro and his longshot effort to secure the endorsement of rising superstar basketball player, Michael Jordan.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Damon will portray Vaccaro, who led the fledgling shoe company in the mid-Eighties. Affleck will direct, write, produce, and star as Nike co-founder Phil Knight.
Though the film is about Michael Jordan, the basketball player will apparently not be portrayed in the film. Instead, Vaccarro’s relentless efforts to reach Jordan will be shown through encounters with his parents, former coaches, advisors and friends.
The project marks the first time that Affleck will direct Damon in a feature film. The duo are currently reworking the script, which was written by Alex Converyand made the 2021 Black List of best unproduced screenplays.
Damon and Affleck have starred in a number of films together, from School Ties (1992) to Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back (2000), and most recently The Last Duel (2021).
In 1998, the pair won an Oscar for their collaborative script, Good Will Hunting (1997), in which the duo starred opposite the late Robin Williams.
Producer Peter Guber (Mandalay Pictures) and Skydance Sports president John Weinbech will also reunite on the movie, having previously produced Emmy-award winning Michael Jordan series The Last Dance together for ESPN Films and Netflix.
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