Amazon Studios dropped the first official trailer for Air, a film starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck which shows how Nike got Michael Jordan on board and revolutionised the world of sportswear. The movie, which premiered at SXSW ahead of the official theatrical release scored a very rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which basically means that all the critics present loved it.

The film is set in the early 1984 when Nike was still trying to make a name in sportswear and Jordan was a rookie. It shows how the massively popular Air Jordan brand was born.

“This moving 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,” the film’s logline reads.

What we know about the film Air

First trailer focuses on Sonny Vaccaro

ben Affleck Air
Image credit: ana carballosa/Ana Carballosa/Prime Video – © ana carballosa/IMDb

The trailer of Air reveals that the film will focus on Sonny Vaccaro, the legendary sports marketing genius who convinced Nike to sign Jordan. But the trailer is set in a time when Vaccaro hadn’t yet become the celebrated icon he is today.

As the trailer reveals, Vaccaro had to be really persistent on his mission. While convincing Nike wasn’t easy, he had to also get the approval of Jordan’s mother, Deloris Jordan, for what he envisioned for her son.

In the flashes of the trailer, Vaccaro is seen trying to make Nike co-founder Phil Knight see the brand’s future with Jordan.

Deloris, on the other hand, wants the world to take note of her outstandingly talented son.

The cast of Air

Damon plays Sonny Vaccaro while the role of Phil Knight is essayed by Affleck. Deloris Jordan is portrayed by Viola Davis.

Other cast members include Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser, Chris Messina as David Falk, Marlon Wayans as George Raveling, Chris Tucker as Howard White, Matthew Maher as Peter Moore, Gustaf Skarsgård as Horst Dassler and Julius Tennon as James Jordan.

Why is Air highly anticipated?

ben Affleck Air
Image credit: Amazon Studios © Amazon Content Services LLC

Besides the Michael Jordan connection, Air is one of the most anticipated films of 2023 because of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.

The longtime friends won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for writing Good Will Hunting (1997), a film in which they also shared the screen. The two actors recently reunited as co-stars for The Last Duel (2021), a Ridley Scott historical film whose script they wrote.

Affleck won his second Oscar when Argo (2012), a film he directed, won Best Picture. On the other hand, Damon also has three Oscar nominations in acting categories and a nomination as a producer when his film Manchester by the Sea (2016) was in the running for Best Picture.

Air is the first film where Affleck is directing Damon. It is also the first film from the two friend’s production company, Artists Equity.

The film, Air, will premiere on 5 April in theatres and will later be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.

Meanwhile, watch the trailer below:

(Hero and featured image credit: Amazon Studios © Amazon Content Services LLC)

This story first appeared in Lifestyle Asia Singapore

written by.

Manas Sen Gupta

Manas enjoys reading detective fiction and writing about anything that interests him. When not doing either of the two, he checks Instagram for the latest posts by travellers. Winter is his favourite season and he can happily eat a bowl of noodles any time of the day.
 
‘Air’: Ben Affleck’s New Directorial On Nike’s Air Jordan Gets Rare 100% Rotten Tomatoes Score
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