Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are set to reunite for a film looking at how former Nike executive Sonny Vaccarro got Michael Jordan to sign with the company.
The Good Will Hunting Oscar winners will both star in the film, produce, and work on the screenplay, with Affleck at the helm as director. The still-untitled project comes from Amazon Studios and Skydance Sport, both of which are reportedly in the last stages of finalising their deal.
As first reported by THR, the film will have Damon playing Sonny Vaccarro and will focus on his determined journey to get rising basketball player Michael Jordan to sign with Nike in the ’80s. Nike was, at that time, a third-place shoe company and signing Jordan to the brand was deemed unlikely. Nevertheless, Vaccarro persevered, embarking on a path that would take him to Jordan’s parents (it was pivotal to convince Jordan’s mother, in particular), friends, coaches and advisors. Jordan ended up signing, helping Nike become a billion-dollar global juggernaut. Affleck will be playing Nike co-founder Phil Knight.
The original screenplay, which was titled Air Jordan, came from Alex Convery and was chosen to be in the 2021 Black List (the annual list of the best unproduced scripts circling Hollywood). Affleck and Damon are now reworking it.
While Affleck and Damon have worked together on a number of features over the years, this will be the first film that will have Affleck directing and Damon starring. The two were recently seen together on screen in Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel, with Damon co-leading and Affleck supporting.
Stay tuned as this one comes together. Eyes will no doubt be on who will be cast as Jordan.