After writing and starring in ‘Will Hunting – Rebel Genius’ and ‘The Last Duel’, Ben Affleck e Matt Damon are back to work together in view of a film on the historic sponsorship agreement between Nike e Michael Jordan. The project, which still does not have an official title, will tell the true story of how the collaboration between the multinational sports footwear and the basketball champion took shape. Ben Affleck will also be director and will bring his behind-the-camera experience to feature films such as ‘Gone Baby Gone’, ‘The Town’, ‘Argo’ and ‘The Law of the Night’.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon for a movie about Nike and Michael Jordan
True history teaches us that Sonny VaccaroNike’s marketing executive struggled to get basketball rising star Michael Jordan to sign his first sponsorship deal. An agreement that at that moment seemed impossible and that led to the most significant relationship in history between an athlete and a brand.
Backed by Nike co-founder, Phil Knight, Vaccaro was the protagonist of a slow and difficult approach to Jordan: a path that led him to contact his former coach, his friends, advisors and even his parents. In particular the mother, a dynamic character capable of enormous influence on her son. According to what was told by the US magazine Hollywood Reporter, which launched the news, Michael Jordan’s character will not appear in the film and will remain a sort of mythical presencewhich can only be touched by having access to the people closest to him.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are rewriting the script for the film, building on an earlier script by Alex Convery. After that Ben Affleck he will direct and interpret Nike co-founder Phil Knight, while Matt Damon will play the part of Sonny Vaccaro. Both will also be executive producers within a consortium that could include Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports and Mandalay Pictures. The conditional is a must because the agreements are in the process of being finalized: the analysts consider them to be done, but as long as there are no signatures on the contracts, the last word is not said.
