Friends Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are teaming up once more for a new project about Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Affleck, 49, will direct, write, co-star, and produce the sports biopic, while Damon, 51, will star, co-write, and produce.
Amazon Studios and Skydance Sports are said to be finalizing a deal for the film with the two Oscar winners. The “Ford vs. Ferrari” actor will play Vaccaro, while Ben Affleck will play Nike co-founder Phil Knight.
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The plot revolves around the sports sneaker company and Vaccaro attempting to sign basketball player Michael Jordan for an endorsement deal in the mid-’80s.
The collaboration seemed impossible at the time, but it turned out to be one of the most significant in sports history. The search led the shoe executive to the basketball player’s mother, as well as former coaches, advisers, and friends.
The ex-Chicago Bulls player will not appear in the film and will only be a shadowy figure watching the action from afar. The project holds a special place in the hearts of both the “Argo” star and Damon. It will be Affleck’s first time directing a story starring his Hollywood bestie.
The duo won an Oscar for writing the script for their 1997 drama, “Good Will Hunting,” and they also co-wrote and co-starred in last year’s flop, “The Last Duel.”
Last October, “Good Will Hunting” executive producer Kevin Smith revealed that disgraced Miramax founder Harvey Weinstein wanted to pull the indie film from theatres early in order to jeopardize star Robin Williams’ career.
At the time, the Gus Van Sant-directed drama grossed more than $225 million at the box office.
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In the book “Kevin Smith’s Secret Stash,” the 51-year-old “Mallrats” director said that if the film grossed more than $100 million, Williams would cash in a larger portion of the profits and split the money with Miramax.
Smith previously told the Daily Beast that he’s “not sure if it was a 50/50 split.”
He also said, “I remember when ‘Good Will Hunting’ was leaving theatres, and it felt weird because it was like, ‘Wait? There’s all this Oscar buzz, so why would you pull it if it was just making money?’ And they did it because keeping it in theatres meant that more of the money would go to Robin, whereas the moment it went to video, the split wasn’t Robin-heavy. It was hamstrung because [of] greed.”
