Matt Damon has been one of the top stars in Hollywood since the 1990s when he launched his career with the hit film Good Will Hunting. Since then he has gone on to star in other major movies, including The Martian, The Talented Mr Ripley, Saving Private Ryan and the Bourne series.
He has also pursued a range of other career and personal interests during that time, such as gaming. He portrayed a poker player in the film Rounders, but that was not all about acting for him.
As an enthusiast of in-person and online poker he has competed in big tournaments like the World Series of Poker. Then there are his charitable connections with organisations such as Feeding America and the production companies he runs with good friend Ben Affleck.
Now he has been confirmed to star in a new movie about Nike. Read on to find out more.
What is the new Matt Damon Nike movie about?
In his new film, Matt Damon is scheduled to play the part of Sonny Vaccaro. This man worked as an executive for the sportswear company Nike back in the 1980s, having previously sold trainers for a living.
The movie that Damon has signed up for will look at Nike during that era, when the company was still being built up into the giant industry name that it is today. Vaccaro played a big role in helping to boost the prestige and image of Nike in that time period and that is what this film is to portray.
He sought to get the basketball star Michael Jordan to sign a contract with Nike during the middle of the 1980s, a period when Jordan was one of US sports’ emerging stars. The eventual deal between Jordan and Nike would go on to become a legendary partnership as both rose to the top in subsequent years.
How modern sports marketing began
According to the early reports of online news that are emerging about this film, it is seen as a valuable story to tell because it marked the start of a new type of sports marketing. Back in the 1980s the industry had not seen a deal similar to the one agreed between Nike and Jordan and it is viewed as one that transformed the company.
Before partnering with the basketball star, Nike was just one of several sportswear companies in the US. He helped to make it an iconic brand and it is that process that the movie is set to depict.
Damon will not be the only top actor involved in the production. He is linking up once again with his good friend and frequent past co-star Ben Affleck for the project.
Affleck is to take on the role of Phil Knight, the man who was one of the founders of Nike. How big this role will be in the film is not yet clear, but Affleck is also taking on directing duties for it.
A tough deal to seal
It is hard for us to imagine, but in the 1980s Nike was considered only the third biggest online sportswear manufacturer in the US. With the support of Knight – who launched Nike with Bill Bowerman in the 1960s as Blue Ribbon Sports – Vaccaro set out to change all that.
He embarked on a quest to get Michael Jordan to promote the company’s products, but it was a difficult deal to land. He had to get the backing of the athlete’s advisors, coaches, friends and family before Jordan would agree to sign.
The latest news coverage indicates that Michael Jordan himself will not be depicted on screen, but others like his influential mother will. The performer who will take on that role is still to be announced.
Damon and Affleck together again
This is far from being the first time that Matt Damon has worked with Ben Affleck. They have been teaming up from the start of their success in Hollywood.
That rise to the top started in 1997, with the hit movie Good Will Hunting, which the two actors wrote and starred in together. It won them the Best Original Screenplay Academy Award and they went on to act with each other in Dogma and The Last Duel.
Affleck has achieved further success as a director and writer in addition to his acting, but up until now he has never directed his friend in a movie. That will mark another point of interest in this new collaboration.
Major Coup for Amazon
The Matt Damon Nike film does not yet have a final title, but it is being produced by Skydance Sports for the streaming service Amazon Studios. A deal between them for the production is being completed right now.
Landing two heavyweight Hollywood stars for it is a big coup for Amazon in its rivalry with other streaming services like Netflix. The screenplay has been written by Alex Convery and originally had the title ‘Air Jordan’ after the famous Nike/Jordan brand of trainers.
Damon and Affleck are currently reworking this script ahead of production starting on the project.
There have been a lot of movies that have taken on sports, but this one is different because it is about promotions rather than actual sporting play. Audiences are likely to be intrigued to see Matt Damon work with Ben Affleck once again on it.
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