A project already interesting in itself is now even more so.
Ben Affleck ‘s Nike film , which the director wrote and will star with his friend Matt Damon , welcomed a very respectable cast. In fact, alongside Affleck and Damon there will be Jason Bateman , Viola Davis , Chris Tucker , Marlon Wayans and Chris Messina . Together with them also Matthew Maher ( Our Flag Means Death ), Tom Papa ( Behind the candelabra ) and Julius Tennon ( Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ).
The film, produced by Amazon Studios , will tell the story of Nike and the complex maneuvers implemented in the 1980s to bind the brand to Michael Jordan . Matt Damon will play Sonny Vaccaro , the salesman in charge of the operation that led to the collaboration between the famous sportswear brand and the basketball star in the 1980s. It was not an easy task, before reaching Jordan, Sonny was forced to collide with a “wall” made up of the coach, friends, consultants and even the player’s mother. Affleck will play the role of Phil Knight , co-founder of the company.
For the first time, Ben Affleck directs Matt Damon
For the first time, Ben Affleck will direct Matt Damon in a movie. The two are also co-producers of the project, made in collaboration with Skydance Sports and Mandalay Pictures and have signed the latest draft of the script by Alex Convery , initially entitled Air Jordan and ended up in the Black List of 2021 , the list of the best scripts not still become movies. Filming began last Monday in Los Angeles.
Characters and performers
Jason Bateman will play Vaccaro’s boss, Rob Strasser , an executive who played a pivotal role in convincing Jordan to sign for the company. Viola Davis will be Jordan’s mother, Deloris Jordan , who had a huge influence on the deal. Julius Tennon will instead be the father of the champion, James . Chris Tucker will play Howard White , a former basketball player for the University of Maryland turned junior executive at Nike, where he kept in touch with NBA players.
Marlon Wayans will play George Raveling , former college basketball champion and assistant coach of the 1984 Olympic basketball team, where he met and befriended Michael Jordan. Matthew Maher will play Peter Moore , the legendary Nike designer who created the first Air Jordans. Finally, Tom Papa will play Stu Inman , a former Portland Trail Blazers executive who famously chose Sam Bowie over Jordan during the 1984 NBA Draft.