In 1984, Nike isn’t the brand we all know today. The brand needs a spark. That’s where Sonny Vaccaro, played by Matt Damon, comes in. He’s brought in to grow the basketball business. Sonny has to come up with a brilliant idea, and he does just that in the AIR trailer, aired during the 2023 Super Bowl. The first full-length trailer dropped February 9.
This brilliant idea revolves around Michael Jordan. Nike CEO Phil Knight, played by Ben Affleck, is understandably hesitant about going all in on MJ considering he’s “never set foot on an NBA court.” But Sonny is persistent. He wants to build a shoe line around Michael.
“I believe in your son. I believe he’s the future, and his story is going to make us want to fly. But a shoe is just a shoe,” Sonny says to Michael Jordan’s mother, played by Viola Davis. MJ’s mom replies, “Until my son steps into them.”
When Phil asks Sonny about a name for the shoe line, Sonny says Air Jordan. Phil’s not exactly impressed right away. “Maybe it’ll grow on me,” he says. That shoe line has certainly grown and earned millions and millions of dollars.
The official synopsis for AIR reads: “From award-winning director Ben Affleck, 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.”
AIR reunites Ben and Matt, the best friend duo who won an Oscar for writing Good Will Hunting together in 1997. This marks the first time Ben has directed his longtime friend and collaborator.
The movie also stars Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, Matthew Maher, Marlon Wayans, Jay Mohr, Julius Tennon, and Chris Tucker. AIR will premiere exclusively in theaters on April 5, 2023.