"Some icons are meant to fly." This is Air. This biographical sports drama film directed by Ben Affleck and written by Alex Convery. The film 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.
Convery had the idea for the film while watching the segment of how Nike signed with basketball player Michael Jordan and created the Air Jordan in the documentary miniseries The Last Dance (2020), and soon after made a research on the subject. The script later appeared on 2021's Black List under the title Air Jordan. In April 2022, it was reported that the script had been bought by Amazon Studios for $125 million, with Affleck and Matt Damon teaming to star in the film, while Affleck would direct. Although not directly involved with the film, Jordan met with Affleck prior to the beginning of production and gave the project his blessing, asking for four changes to the script. Jordan asked for the inclusion of George Raveling, his assistant coach on the 1984 United States men's Olympic basketball team, who was the first to recommend that he should sign with Nike. Jordan also asked that Howard White, vice president of Nike's Jordan Brand and his personal friend, be included in the film. This directly led to Affleck casting Tucker, with whom he had long wanted to work and whom Jordan knew. He also asked for the removal of Tinker Hatfield as a character, as Hatfield, despite working at Nike at the time, was not involved with the creation of the Air Jordan. Finally, Jordan asked the roles of his parents, James R. Jordan Sr. and Deloris Jordan, to be extended, and the casting of Davis to play his mother, who was instrumental in making his mind about meeting and signing a deal with Nike, was his idea. Affleck and Damon did heavy uncredited script revisions to accommodate Jordan's asks. By late May, Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, Viola Davis, Matthew Maher, Gustaf Skarsgård, Barbara Sukowa, and Jay Mohr rounded out the film's cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced and wrapped in early July. Filming took place in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, California. The film was originally slated for a streaming-only release on Amazon Prime Video, but Amazon Studios eventually decided to release the film theatrically following strong results from test screenings.
The cast masterfully interpret the professionals and figures involved in how Nike signed with Jordan and created the Air Jordan.
As a director Affleck's impressive, expanding on the promise he showed in Gone Baby Gone, The Town, and Argo. He's adopted a much lighter style for Air, with a zippy curve-ball narrative spins from wit to drama.
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