Childhood best friends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are working together again, this time for an upcoming drama about Nike, produced by Michael Jordan.
In addition to starring in the film, Damon and Affleck wrote the screenplay and are serving as producers. Affleck is directing the film. The iconic Boston duo are known for their successful collaborations, including their 1997 classic, “Good Will Hunting,” which earned them both their first Academy Awards for the screenplay they co-wrote.
The film will tell the story of Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro, played by Damon, as he works to strike the company’s blockbuster deal with basketball superstar Michael Jordan. Affleck will play Nike co-founder Phil Knight.
Affleck spoke about their enduring friendship last year in a GQ profile on Damon.
“I can’t speak for Matt, but my own kind of sanity and mental health really benefited from having someone who I grew up with and knew as a child who was also going through something similar,” Affleck said. “I often think of people who just become successful and then get thrust into this, and I think, ‘How do they do it without having somebody that they can talk to? Who they can trust? Who knew them before?’”
“Like, I don’t want to be his friend in public, you know what I mean? It’s way too important a friendship for that, and it goes so beyond this career or anything,” Damon said about Affleck in the same article.
The film will also star Jason Bateman, Viola Davis and Chris Tucker, and is set to be released through Amazon Studios.
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