Affleck and Damon Reteam For Movie About the Origin of Air Jordans
The latest chapter of the ongoing partnership between Ben Affleck and Matt Damon: A movie about the creation of the original Air Jordan sneakers.
The film, titled AIR, will be released in theaters later this spring by Amazon Studios. It’s the first film from Affleck and Damon’s new production company, Artists Equity, which they launched late last year. It’s also the first time Affleck has directed Damon in a film, although the two have obviously collaborated numerous times on the past both on and off screen.
Here, per the press release, is the official synopsis for the film:
AIR reveals the unbelievable game-changing partnership between a then rookie Michael Jordan and Nike’s fledgling basketball division which revolutionized the world of sports and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand. 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.
Damon plays Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro in the film, while Affleck is Nike’s co-founder, Phil Knight. The cast of AIR also includes Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, Matthew Maher, Marlon Wayans, Chris Tucker, and Viola Davis.
After meeting in school, Affleck and Damon’s first produced screenplay, Good Will Hunting, won them an Oscar. They later appeared together again in films like Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and recently co-starred in and co-wrote (with Nicole Holofcener) the medieval drama The Last Duel.
AIR will open in theaters globally on April 5. It will then play at a later date on Prime Video streaming.