Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to reunite for Nike biopic about their deal with Michael Jordan

Virgin Radio

21 Apr 2022, 08:36

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are to reunite once again for a new Nike biopic about a shoe deal with Michael Jordan.

The film, which does not have a title yet, is co-production from Amazon Studios, Mandalay Pictures and Skydance Sports and will follow former Nike executive Sonny Vaccarro on his quest to secure a deal with basketball’s biggest rising star, Michael Jordan.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Damon will be playing Vaccarro who headed the infamous shoe company in the 80s and Affleck will star as Nike co-founder Phil Knight as well as serving as director, writer and producer on the movie.

Despite the plot of the film revolving around this lucrative deal with Michael Jordan, the basketball player will not appear in the film. Instead, the multiple efforts from Vaccarro to reach the sportsman will be portrayed through meetings with his parents, former coaches, advisors, and friends.

This will be the first time that Affleck will direct a film starring Damon, and the duo is reportedly reworking the script together, originally written by Alex Converyand, after it made the 2021 Black List of best unproduced screenplays.

Damon and Affleck do have a long history of acting alongside each other, however.

In 1998, the pair won an Oscar together for their script for Good Will Hunting (1997), which they also starred in alongside the late Robin Williams.

The duo has also appeared together in the likes of School Ties (1992), Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back (2000), with the most recent being The Last Duel (2021) by Ridley Scott.

Producer Peter Guber from Mandalay Pictures and President of Skydance Sports John Weinbech will also be reuniting on the movie after co-producing the Emmy-award-winning Michael Jordan series The Last Dance for ESPN Films and Netflix.