Before becoming a global sensation, Michael Jordan was a promising young basketball player looking for a sneaker company to sign with upon entering the NBA in the early ’80s. Nike’s quest to sign Jordan to a shoe deal plays out in the first trailer for Air.
Matt Damon (The Last Duel) stars as Sonny Vaccaro, a shoe salesman at Nike. Before he became the iconic marketing executive and entrepreneur, Vaccaro was looking for his big break. Vaccaro sees Jordan as a potential superstar and begins to pursue him to sign with Nike. Vaccaro tells CEO Phil Knight (The Tender Bar’s Ben Affleck) that Nike should build a shoe line around the young player, something uncommon for rookies, and call it “Air Jordan.” The ensuing journey is played out in the trailer as Vaccaro travels to North Carolina to convince Jordan’s parents (Black Adam‘s Viola Davis and The Woman King’s Julius Tennon) to sign with Nike.
Air revolves around Jordan and this historic shoe deal. However, the film does not feature a portrayal of the renowned basketball player. Instead, it focuses on the Nike executives and Jordan’s parents and how this legendary shoe deal panned out. Air also stars Jason Bateman (Ozark), Chris Messina (Gaslit), Marlon Wayans (The Curse of Bridge Hollow), and Chris Tucker (Rush Hour).
Affleck directs Air from a screenplay by Alex Convery (Bag Man). Air marks Affleck’s first directorial feature since 2016’s Live by Night. Air will be released by Amazon Studios and receive a longer theatrical window before premiering on Prime Video.
Air opens in theaters on April 5.
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