Check out the trailer for Air, an upcoming movie from director Ben Affleck. He is directing, producing, and starring in the film as actual Nike co-founder and now-billionaire Phil Knight. The film’s script was written by Alex Convery back in 2021 and showcased on Black List under the name Air Jordan before Amazon picked it up.
The film reveals the unbelievable game-changing partnership between a then-rookie Michael Jordan and Nike’s fledgling basketball division which revolutionized the world of sports and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand. This moving story follows the career-defining gamble of an unconventional team with everything on the line, the uncompromising vision of a mother who knows the worth of her son’s immense talent, and the basketball phenom who would become the greatest of all time.
The trailer above opens with the first look at Nike’s headquarters back in 1984 when the shoe company struggled with its image and plummeting sales, falling far behind other notable NBA brands like Converse. Nike CEO Phil Knight (Ben Affleck) meets with salesman Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) and expresses his growing disappointment with the company’s performance and lack of vision around the basketball business. Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman) implores salesman Vaccaro to figure out a new, one-of-a-kind strategy for the company that will get them out of the red and back on store shelves.
While viewing tapes of up-and-coming basketball players, Vaccaro comes across one that utterly transfixes him. He shows the tape to Strasser, saying that he’s willing to bet his career on this pitch. He sets out to meet the parents (Viola Davis & Julius Tennon) of rookie player Michael Jordan, whom he believes could be the new face of Nike shoes. They agree to let their son move forward on the venture, and Michael Jordan’s invincibility on the court soon launches the company back into the game. They create an entire line of basketball shoes focused entirely on Michael Jordan that soon obtained the iconic name Air Jordan.
Air stars Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, Matthew Maher, Marlon Wayans, Jay Mohr, Julius Tennon, Chris Tucker, and Viola Davis.
The movie is produced by David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, Jon Weinbach, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Madison Ainley, Jeff Robinov, Peter Guber, and Jason Michael Berman. It is written by Alex Convery.
Air opens in theaters on April 5, 2023. Amazon has reportedly spent upwards of $7 million on an ad for the movie to air during the upcoming Super Bowl.
