Ben Affleck can’t stop reuniting with his famous partners.
The Oscar winner and co-screenwriter of “Good Will Hunting” is re-teaming with his Boston bestie Matt Damon on a new feature film from Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports and Mandalay Pictures. It will center on the sports marketing executive who relentlessly pursued basketball legend Michael Jordan in the mid-’80s. Affleck will direct, star and co-write. Damon will produce, co-write and star.
More from Variety
The “Argo” director will play Nike co-founder and billionaire Phil Knight. Damon will star as Sonny Vaccaro — whose pursuit of Jordan to partner with the shoe brand seemed impossible at the time, but would become the most significant relationship between an athletic brand and player in the global, multi-billion-dollar sneaker industry.
The film will follow Vaccaro’s conquest and introduce audiences to Jordan’s parents, in particular his powerful and dynamic mother, as well as former coaches, advisors, friends and those close to Jordan. The collaboration marks the first time Affleck will direct Damon. Both men will do a pass on Alex Convery’s original script, which appeared on the 2021 Black List (an annual ranking of Hollywood’s best unproduced scripts).
Both stars will produce for their banner Pearl Street Films. Both are signed to WME.
Affleck just appeared in the Hulu viral sensation “Deep Water,” and is reported to appear in the upcoming DC Films project “The Flash” as Batman. Damon will next appear as one of many notable actors in Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” from Universal Pictures. Both Affleck and Damon are producers on the biblical film “Apostle Paul” starring Hugh Jackman.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
