As Hollywood’s arguably most dynamic duo in the business,Ben AffleckandMatt Damonare set to hit the court once more in their newest cinematic project calledAIR. The film was first announced after Amazon Studios picked up the script early last year. In an official release, the first trailer has dropped along with a promotional poster and images showcasing the film’s lineup of stars.AIRis set to release exclusively in theaters on Apr. 5 and later on Prime Video.
AIR,a biographical comedy-drama about the true story of then-failing shoe brand Nike, is the latest collaborative project from Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and the first to be produced by their new company Artists Equity. Affleck 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 flexes some serious A-list talent. Among them, of course, is Matt Damon (The Martian) as shoe salesman Sonny Vaccaro, Jason Bateman (Ozark) as Rob Strasser, Chris Messina (The Boogeyman) as NBA sports agent David Falk, Marlon Wayans (Respect) as former NBA player George Raveling, Chris Tucker (Silver Linings Playbook), Viola Davis (The Suicide Squad) as Deloris Jordan, and many more.
With the film’s theatrical release just around the corner on Apr. 5, Amazon has reportedly spent upwards of $7 million on an ad for the movie to air during the upcoming Super Bowl. Along with the trailer, the official promo poster for the film and six new images have been released and can be viewed below.
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New Trailer Showcases A-List Actors in Nike’s Fight for Survival
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. The official poster forAIRis featured below:
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.” The trailer wraps with Phil Knight’s comical skepticism of the name, saying, “it’ll grow on [him].”
