Variety reports Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are reuniting to tell the true-life story of former Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro, which will hail from Skydance Sports and Amazon Studios. Affleck will direct, write, co-star, and produce the untitled sports marketing drama, while Damon will star and also write and produce.
Damon will portray Vaccaro while Affleck will portray Nike co-founder Phil Knight in a story about their long-shot effort to sign the NBA’s rising star Michael Jordan to their fledgling shoe company in the mid-1980s. An effort that would change the relationship between brands and athletes forever. The deal grew Nike into a multi-billion-dollar company and further popularized basketball.
The screenwriting dream team will rework a script originally penned by Alex Convery, but the story will remain the same. It details Vaccaro’s relentless quest to sign Jordan to their newcomer shoe company, a journey that took him to Jordan’s parents, dueling with his powerful and dynamic mother, as well as former coaches and friends. Though Jordan will never be onscreen, he will be a mythic figure, always looming in everyone’s minds.
Skydance Sports President John Weinbach previously produced the Emmy-winning Jordan series The Last Dance and was integral in obtaining Vaccaro’s life rights. This untitled drama will be Skydance Sports’ first feature.
This project will also be the first time Affleck will direct a feature starring his longtime friend and collaborator, Damon. The duo won an Oscar for their Good Will Hunting screenplay, a film they also starred in. Last year, the pair reunited on-screen in Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel.
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