From award-winning director Ben Affleck (Argo, The Town), AIR 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 inspirational 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.
AIR stars Matt Damon as Nike’s basketball expert, Sonny Vaccaro; Ben Affleck as Nike founder and CEO, Phil Knight; Jason Bateman (Ozark) as Rob Strasser, Nike’s VP of Marketing; Chris Tucker (Rush Hour franchise) as Howard White, Sonny’s colleague and advisor; Chris Messina (Sharp Objects) as David Falk, Jordan’s agent; Marlon Wayans (Respect) as George Raveling, one of Jordan’s coaches at the 1984 Olympics; and Viola Davis as Michael’s mother, Deloris Jordan.
“I really believe that human excellence is a beautiful thing; the concept of genius is one of the things that’s most fascinating to me, and Michael Jordan is nothing if not a genius. There is a mystery in what exactly makes him who he is—that level of elite, that cut above, the greatest basketball player ever. His influence on basketball and sports in general, and the people who love them, is incalculable,” comments Ben Affleck in his Director’s Statement.
“However, this a story that exemplifies how—even before he stepped on an NBA court—he completely transformed the world of sports marketing and how athletes are compensated, championed by his mother, who envisioned his future and knew his worth,” adds Affleck.
The main cast also includes Matthew Maher (Captain Marvel) as Peter Moore, Nike’s creative director; and Julius Tennon (The Woman King) as Michael’s father, James Jordan.
Affleck directed AIR from a screenplay by Alex Convery. Affleck and Damon are also producing alongside David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, Jon Weinbach, Madison Ainley, Jeff Robinov, Peter Guber, and Jason Michael Berman. Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Kevin Halloran, Michael Joe, Drew Vinton, John Graham, Peter E. Strauss and Jordan Moldo serve as executive producers.
The behind-the-scenes creative team includes three-time Oscar-winning director of photography Robert Richardson (Hugo, The Aviator, JFK), production designer François Audouy (Ford v Ferrari, Logan), Oscar-winning editor William Goldenberg (Argo, The Imitation Game, Zero Dark Thirty), costume designer Charlese Antoinette Jones (Judas and the Black Messiah) and music supervisor Andrea von Foerster (Yellowstone).
AIR will be distributed internationally by Warner Bros. Pictures and in cinemas across the United Arab Emirates from April 6, 2023, and subsequently the rest of the Middle East on April 27, 2023. The regional trailer can be viewed here.
Photo Credit: Ana Carballosa, Caption: Ben Affleck as Phil Knight in AIR
