For a sports drama, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have reunited. The two co-star in the first trailer for the true-crime drama AIR, which Affleck directs for the first movie since Live By Night in 2016. It’s the first movie made by Artists Equity, the new production firm founded by Affleck and Damon.
It stars Damon, 52, as Sonny Vaccaro, the sports marketing executive who helped sign Michael Jordan to Nike and launch the Air Jordan footwear, and Affleck, 50, as Philip Knight, the co-founder of Nike, Inc.
In the movie, Viola Davis plays Jordan’s mother Deloris, and her real-life husband Julius Tennon portrays Jordan’s father James. Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, Marlon Wayans, Chris Tucker, and Gustaf Skarsgrd are also featured in the film Air.
An official synopsis for the film reads, “AIR uncovers the extraordinary game-changing connection between a then-rookie Michael Jordan and Nike’s nascent basketball division which altered the world of sports and current culture with the Air Jordan brand.”
The basketball phenom who would go on to become the greatest is the subject of “this poignant story,” which also features the unwavering vision of a mother who recognizes the value of her son’s enormous skill and the career-defining gamble of an unorthodox squad with everything on the line.
Together, Affleck and Damon wrote and co-starred in the 1998 film Good Will Hunting, which received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Affleck directed The Town and Argo, which won the 2013 Best Picture, Oscar. Recently, Damon and Affleck appeared in the movie The Last Duel in 2021.
According to Variety, in a statement from January, Affleck said, “Matt and I are incredibly happy for viewers to watch Air and proud that it’s the first release from Artists Equity.” We had the privilege of working with some of the best actors and crew in the industry, all of whom offered passion, perseverance, and creativity to a team effort to recreate a fantastic and aspirational story.
NEW: #Air trailer – Ben Affleck back as director & back w/ Matt Damon, telling the story of how Nike launched the Air Jordans. Always watch Ben Affleck basketball movies, imo. These guys are sports nerds and this film looks like a blast. In theaters 4/5pic.twitter.com/j9PiGjqcgZ
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) February 9, 2023
Making the movie was an unforgettable experience. He continued, “I admire and appreciate Jen Salke’s confidence in our capacity to carry out and deliver a picture we are proud of, as well as her and Sue Kroll’s great continual support of the film.
“Without Skydance, Mandalay, and Amazon Studios, it would not have been possible to complete this project. We appreciate the efforts made by every one of them to make it possible and would like to express our gratitude.”
The most artistic and personal event of our lives, said Affleck, “We hope to have many more like it.” The movie AIR debuts on April 5.
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