Ben Affleck’s next directorial effort Air has finally set a release date and it’s far sooner than expected: April 5, 2023.
Reuniting Affleck with lifelong friend and collaborator Matt Damon, this forthcoming biographical drama depicts the birth of Nike’s gamechanging partnership with then-NBA rookie and future icon Michael Jordan, as told through the lens of maverick salesman turned Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro and Nike co-founder Phil Knight.
Not only would the aforementioned partnership establish Nike as a major player in sportswear and performance apparel, altering the landscape as we know it in the process, but also mint MJ as a certified billionaire. To this day, it’s still the richest athlete endorsement deal in history.
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“Matt and I are very excited for audiences to see Air and proud that it’s the first release from Artists Equity,” Ben Affleck expressed via statement.
“The movie was an extraordinary experience where we had the honor 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.”
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“We value the steps it took on each of their parts to make it happen and want to thank them. This was the best creative and personal experience of our lives and we look forward to many more like it.”
Led by Matt Damon as Sonny Vaccaro and Ben Affleck as Phil Knight, the star-studded cast also includes Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser, Chris Messina as David Falk, Matthew Maher as Peter Moore, Marlon Wayans as George Raveling, Chris Tucker as Howard White, Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan, Gustaf Skarsgård as Horst Dassler, and Julius Tennon as James Jordan
Air has been written by Alex Covery – whose initial draft Air Jordan was actually named one of the best unproduced screenplays in the 2021 Black List – and will be jointly distributed by Amazon Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures as part of the latter’s ongoing pact with the former’s subsidiary MGM. The project in question represents the very first from Affleck and Damon’s Artist Equity.
Once again, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Air release date has been scheduled for April 5th, 2023.
