Ben Affleck, Matt Damon’s ‘Air’ to premiere on Prime Video

Mumbai, Feb 10 (PTI) “Air”, an upcoming movie from actor-filmmaker Ben Affleck about the game-changing partnership between Michael Jordan and Nike’s basketball division, will be available for streaming in India on Prime Video.

The movie is about the company’s longshot attempt to sign the basketball legend Jordan in the mid-’80s, an endorsement that seemed impossible at the time but would go on to become the most significant relationship between an athletic brand and an athlete, launching the multibillion-dollar contemporary sneaker industry.

Matt Damon, Affleck’s close friend and frequent collaborator, stars in the movie and also serves as a producer. He plays the role of Sonny Vaccaro, the legendary sneaker salesman who signed Jordan to his first sneaker deal in the initial days of Nike.

“Air”, which hails from Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports, Mandalay Pictures, will premiere this year in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide on Prime Video, the streamer said in a press release.

“Ben, Matt, and this all-star cast have delivered a fantastic film that will move, inspire, and entertain audiences around the globe. With Ben’s incredible direction, the film delivers a nostalgic look back at a culture-defining moment that absolutely lends itself to a global theatrical event,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon and MGM Studios.

Affleck also stars in the movie as Nike co-founder Phil Knight. He is joined by 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 Skarsgard as Horst Dassler, and Julius Tennon as James Jordan.

The actor said he is glad that “Air” is the first project to come out of Artists Equity, the new production venture he formed with Damon. The duo won an Oscar for best screenplay for their 1997 movie “Good Will Hunting”.

“Matt and I are very excited for audiences to see AIR and proud that it’s the first release from Artists Equity. 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 were all critical to getting this done, and the film couldn’t have been made without them,” Affleck added.

“Air” has a script by Alex Convery. The film is produced by David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, Jon Weinbach, Affleck, Damon, Madison Ainley, Jeff Robinov, Peter Guber, and Jason Michael Berman.

It is executive produced by Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Kevin Halloran, Michael Joe, Drew Vinton, John Graham, Peter E. Strauss, and Jordan Moldo.