Ben Affleck’s fifth directorial feature is a period drama based on the real-life creation of how Nike created the groundbreaking Air Jordan shoe line. Affleck once again teams up with his “Good Will Hunting” collaborator Matt Damon, who stars in the film also opposite Affleck, as Nike shoe salesman Sonny Vaccaro, in the upcoming release “Air.”
MGM debuted the trailer for the film this week ahead of the Super Bowl, which you can check out below:
Ben Affleck & Matt Damon Depict The Creation Of Nike’s Air Jordan Line
Affleck is performing double duty for the film. Besides directing, he also co-stars in the film as Nike co-founder and former CEO Phil Knight. Besides Damon and Affleck, who reunite in front of the camera once again, the film boasts an all-star cast, including fellow Oscar-winner Viola Davis as Michael Jordan’s mother Deloris Jordan, Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser, Chris Tucker as Howard White, Julius Tennon as James Jordan, and Marlon Wayans as George Raveling.
It appears that Jordan himself is taking a backseat for most of the film if the trailer is any indication. The film appears to be all about how Nike signed a then-rookie NBA player Jordan to a lucrative shoe contract and launched the iconic Air Jordan sneaker line. The premise appears to be all about how the upstart Nike risked it all on the hopeful success of Jordan as a player and hit it big, essentially launching a multi-billion sneaker industry.
Affleck and Damon more recently starred opposite one another in the historical drama, “The Last Duel,” directed by Oscar-winner Ridley Scott. The film did well with critics, scoring 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the film did not manage to find an audience at the box office, grossing only about $30 million worldwide off of a $100 million budget.
Damon and Affleck became household names after they won Academy Awards for their screenplay of the 1997 film, “Good Will Hunting.” It also garnered the late Robin Williams an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. They later starred together once again in the Kevin Smith religious satire, “Dogma,” released in 1999. However, “Air” marks the first time that Affleck will direct his longtime friend and collaborator in Damon.
This is Affleck’s first film as director since the 2016 flop, “Live by Night.” In recent years, Affleck found success after he began directing such heavy dramas as “Gone Baby Gone,” “The Town,” and “Argo.” “Argo,” released in 2012, won the Oscar for Best Picture. Affleck is also expected to don the cap and cowl of The Dark Knight himself, Batman aka Bruce Wayne, in the upcoming DC comic book superhero adventure “The Flash.” The film races into theaters on June 16.
MGM’s trailer release states that “Air” will release exclusively in theaters first later this April. So, the film will still have a traditional theatrical release before it hits streaming via Amazon Prime Video later on. The retail giant began the acquisition of MGM Studios earlier in May 2021. The sale was finalized in March 2022.
“Air” debuts in theaters on April 5.
