When it comes to celebrity endorsements, nothing is quite as iconic as Michael Jordan’s Nike partnership. But have you ever wondered how the company managed to convince him to sign the lucrative contract?
Ben Affleck’s new biopic Air tells the story behind perhaps the greatest sporting partnership in history and promises to renew the debate as to who should get credit for getting the deal across the line.
And considering the partnership still holds the record for the most expensive athlete endorsement deal in history, the story behind it will undoubtedly make for a great cinematic adaptation.
When will Air be released?
Thankfully we won’t have to wait much longer to see the film, with Amazon Studios announcing that it will hit screens on April 5, 2023 — sooner than we initially expected. In the mean time, you can watch The Last Dance to get your basketball fix.
Where can I watch the trailer?
The trailer for AIR has just dropped online, you can watch it below.
Who stars in Air?
In addition to directing the film, Ben Affleck will also star as Nike cofounder Phil Knight. He will share the screen with Matt Damon, who will play Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro — who, spoiler alert, is one of the men taking credit for the partnership.
“It goes beyond Jordan. I am the savior of Nike,” he told USA Today in 2015 of the partnership.
The all-star cast is decked out with other huge names including Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans and Viola Davis.
What has Ben Affleck said about the film?
To coincide with the release date announcement, Affleck has released a statement on his experiences filming and directing such an iconic story.
“Matt [Damon] and I are very excited for audiences to see Air and proud that it’s the first release from Artists Equity,” said Affleck of the film in a statement.
“The movie was an extraordinary experience where we had the honour of working with some of the best cast and crew in the business, all of whom brought passion, persistence, and creativity to a collective effort at recreating a remarkable and aspirational story.”
“I appreciate and value Jen Salke’s faith in our ability to execute on and deliver a movie we are proud of, as well as her and Sue Kroll’s incredible ongoing support of the film. Amazon Studios, Skydance, and Mandalay Pictures were all critical to getting this done, and the film couldn’t have been made without them.”
Who wrote the script?
If the film sounds familiar, that’s probably because the script for Air was written by Alex Covery — who was listed on the 2021 Black List for the best unproduced screenplays for the screenplay, which was originally called Air Jordan.
