From award-winning director Ben Affleck (Argo, The Town), AIR reveals the unbelievable game-changing partnership between a then-rookie Michael Jordan and Nike\u2019s 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\u2019s immense talent, and the basketball phenom who would become the greatest of all time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AIR stars Matt Damon as Nike\u2019s basketball expert, Sonny Vaccaro; Ben Affleck as Nike founder and CEO, Phil Knight; Jason Bateman (Ozark) as Rob Strasser, Nike\u2019s VP of Marketing; Chris Tucker (Rush Hour franchise) as Howard White, Sonny\u2019s colleague and advisor; Chris Messina (Sharp Objects) as David Falk, Jordan\u2019s agent; Marlon Wayans (Respect) as George Raveling, one of Jordan\u2019s coaches at the 1984 Olympics; and Viola Davis as Michael\u2019s mother, Deloris Jordan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI really believe that human excellence is a beautiful thing; the concept of genius is one of the things that\u2019s 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\u2014that 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,\u201d comments Ben Affleck in his Director\u2019s Statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHowever, this a story that exemplifies how\u2014even before he stepped on an NBA court\u2014he completely transformed the world of sports marketing and how athletes are compensated, championed by his mother, who envisioned his future and knew his worth,\u201d adds Affleck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The main cast also includes Matthew Maher (Captain Marvel) as Peter Moore, Nike\u2019s creative director; and Julius Tennon (The Woman King) as Michael\u2019s father, James Jordan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The behind-the-scenes creative team includes three-time Oscar-winning director of photography Robert Richardson (Hugo, The Aviator, JFK), production designer Fran\u00e7ois 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).<\/p>\n\n\n\n