Affleck, Damon to star in film about Nike's pursuit of Michael Jordan

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are partnering on a new movie centered around Nike's efforts to ink Michael Jordan to an endorsement deal in the 1980s.

Affleck will portray Nike co-founder Phil Knight in the yet-to-be-titled drama, while Damon stars as former Nike executive Sonny Vaccarro, the Hollywood Reporter's Borys Kit reports. Affleck will direct the film, and he and Damon will also serve as co-writers and co-producers on the project.

The film follows Vaccarro's "relentless quest to sign Jordan to what was then the third-place shoe company" and his encounters with those close to the Chicago Bulls legend, including his parents, according to Kit. Jordan will be treated as "a mythic figure hovering above the movie and never seen."

Jordan signed with Nike in 1984 in what would prove to be one of the most lucrative partnerships in sports. A 2020 Forbes report estimates Jordan has earned more than $1 billion since joining the brand.