Ben Affleck’s AIR movie tells the story of how Nike created one of the most famous sneakers of all time: the Air Jordan. Beginning before the legendary NBA player’s rookie season in 1984, the trailer for the movie promises to take audiences on the ultimate ’80s adventure.
Who Plays Who in Ben Affleck’s AIR
Ben Affleck directs and stars in AIR alongside Matt Damon, Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, Marlon Wayans, Chris Tucker, and Viola Davis.
Written by Alex Convery, the movie is actually produced by both Affleck and Damon through their production company Artists Equity. This is the first film they’re producing under their new banner — and it’s Affleck’s latest turn in the director’s chair following 2016’s Live by Night and 2012’s Argo, which won the Oscar for best picture.
Affleck plays Nike co-founder Philip Knight alongside Damon, who plays Sonny Vaccaro, the sports marketer who was pivotal in signing Michael Jordan and spearheading the Air Jordan sneakers when they launched in 1985. The movie starts in 1984 before Jordan’s rookie season in the NBA and features a nostalgic recreation of the very ’80s Nike offices, complete with primitive computers and a very ’80s perm on Ben Affleck.
Viola Davis plays Michael Jordan’s mother Deloris, and her real-life husband Julius Tennon plays Jordan’s father, James. Bateman plays Rob Strasser, Messina plays David Falk, and Tucker plays Howard White.
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AIR Synopsis
“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,” reads the movie’s official description.
Air arrives in theaters from Amazon Studios on April 5.
Watch the full trailer for AIR above.
Main Image: Ben Affleck in AIR courtesy of Amazon Studios.