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Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series spotlighting the year’s most talked-about scripts continues with first-timer Alex Convery’s screenplay for the Ben Affleck-directed Air. 

Air screenwriter Alex Convery and editor William Goldenberg represented the film at Deadline’s Contenders Film: Los Angeles. The film tells the story of how Nike signed then-rookie Michael Jordan to the sneaker line that became Air Jordan. Even though Air Jordan is one of the most famous brands in the world, Convery said it remained suspenseful because Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) became such a strong character.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Before Ben Affleck donned an ill-fitting wig and distracting polarized sunglasses in his portrayal of Phil Knight in “Air,” the visionary Nike founder told his own life story in a 2018 memoir called “Shoe Dog.” In the candid autobiography — which is currently a No. 1 bestseller on Amazon, five years after its initial release — Knight traces the creation of Nike, from its early days as an intrepid start-up to its current status as one of the most iconic and profitable brands in history.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director The summer movie season kicks off in theaters this month with huge studio tentpoles like “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” “Fast X” and “The Little Mermaid.” Streaming is also set to have a big summer kickoff thanks to the arrival of recent box office winners (Sony’s “A Man From Otto”), acclaimed indies (Willem Dafoe’s one-man-show “Inside”), beloved docs (Michael J.

Angelique Jackson It’s time to lace up your kicks: Ben Affleck’s “Air” will be available to stream on Prime Video beginning May 12. “Air” debuted April 5 on more than 3,500 screens, which marked an unprecedented theatrical release for Amazon, as the studio affirmed its billion-dollar commitment to making movies for the big screen. The film is produced by Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports, Mandalay Pictures, and is the inaugural project from Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity. Directed by Affleck, from a script by Alex Convery, “Air” tells the true story of how Nike’s basketball division signed then-NBA rookie Michael Jordan into a historic partnership that revolutionized the world of endorsement deals with the creation of the Air Jordan brand.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic There are a lot of reasons why “Air,” the sensational new movie starring Matt Damon and directed by Ben Affleck, is being consumed by audiences with eager pleasure. It’s the rare drama for adults these days that people actually want to see in a movie theater (I don’t mean that to sound negative; the film could jump-start a trend). And that’s no random triumph. “Air,” based on the true story of Nike, Michael Jordan and the man who brought them together, is full of juicy inside talk about money and sports and celebrity and what agents and marketing executives actually do. In that way, it has the qualities that defined both “Jerry Maguire” and “Moneyball.” The script is by Alex Convery, who has come out of nowhere (this is his first produced feature). I would personally like to give a high-five to any screenwriter who creates this kind of dialogue — bright and sharp and nimble, with a cutting worldliness, the kind of conversation that’s been an engine of great films for 100 years. People talking! Spewing what’s on their minds, or deftly concealing it, as we hang on every word. “Air” has come along at just the right moment to remind us that terrific actors delivering savory lines of dialogue is the most special effects that a movie needs.

J. Kim Murphy Before “Air” could get the greenlight, director Ben Affleck needed one last seal of approval. With months of development already complete, the director flew out to meet with Michael Jordan, seeking his blessing for the film, which explores the NBA star’s landmark 1984 sponsorship deal with Nike and the origin of the Air Jordan line. For screenwriter Alex Convery, this was the most stressful 24 hours of his career. “Either this was going to get made and it would be my first produced movie, or it’s all going to fall apart. Back to square one,” Convery recalls in a conversation with Variety. “To really do this responsibly, you need Michael to say yes. Ben said it in the first meeting, ‘We will not do the movie if Michael doesn’t want to do it.’”

post-COVID theatrical gambit, “Air,” tells the mostly untold story of how Nike convinced a promising NBA rookie named Michael Jordan to sign with them over the market-dominating likes of Addidas and Converse. Directed by Ben Affleck and starring Matt Damon alongside a packed ensemble cast, the film also stars Viola Davis, Chris Tucker, Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans and Chris Messina and has debuted to mostly rapturous reviews and early-bird Oscar buzz.It’s also the feature screenwriting debut of 25-year-old Alex Convery.

Todd Gilchrist editor Michael Jordan and his signature sneakers have been a fixture of pop culture since 1984, when Sonny Vaccaro convinced the then-rookie (and more importantly, his shrewd mother, Deloris) to sign an industry-changing endorsement deal with sportswear brand Nike. “Air” dramatizes many of the finer points of these real-life events, with Matt Damon playing Vaccaro, Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan and Ben Affleck pulling double duty as director and co-star. But the new film operates less as a tribute to consumerism than as an origin story of one exceptional athlete — and the leather-and-rubber vessel that has become synonymous with his legacy. “I wasn’t all that interested in the business minutiae in the story,” Affleck tells Variety. “It’s really a fable, inspired by these characters and who they represent.”

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor It’s been more than 25 years since Ben Affleck became the youngest Oscar winner for best original screenplay for “Good Will Hunting,” which he co-wrote and starred in with Matt Damon. Isn’t it time for a sequel? Not so much. Damon laughed when revealing that Affleck was recently approached for a follow-up movie. “Someone just tried to pitch Ben ‘Good Will Hunting 2,’” Damon told me Monday at the premiere of “Air” in Los Angeles. “I shit you not — that happened. He told me today. He was like, ‘You’re not going to believe what I heard.’ This was a flat-out sequel. I don’t get it.”

Amazon Studios is taking to the streets to promote Ben Affleck’s “Air,” which chronicles the beginnings of the iconic Air Jordan sneaker brand. The studio has teamed up with iconic sneaker culture icon Jason Markk to host a multi-city consumer experience, dubbed “Fresh Air,” which ties into the film’s social campaign, “A shoe is just a shoe until I step into it.” The activation will see guerilla street teams flood U.S. cities including Los Angeles, New York, Miami and Chicago, in a unique opportunity to bring together sneakerheads and celebrate the culture and history of the sneaker community. The street team will also have a presence at the Jason Markk flagship store in L.A.

Did you know that Michael Jordan makes $400 million a year and passive income due to the percentage he gets from selling Air Jordans? Understanding how this came to be we must travel back to the 1980s and famed sneaker label Nike, in Ben Affleck’s newest film Air. Written by Alex Convery, the movie stars Affleck, Matt Damon, Viola Davis, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, Jason Bateman, and Julius Tennon.

Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Viola Davis and Chris Tucker scored an MVP standing ovation at South by Southwest on Saturday night with the closing night film “Air.” One year after “Everything Everywhere All at Once” debuted at SXSW on its way to seven Oscar wins, the Austin festival launched another major crowd pleaser. “Air,” directed by Affleck and written by Alex Convery, received not only rapturous applause when its credits rolled, but also sustained cheering throughout the inspirational film — particularly in scenes involving Davis as Deloris Jordan, negotiating with Nike’s Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) for her son’s worth.

The Ben Affleck-directed Nike film Air from Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports and Mandalay Pictures is set to close out the SXSW Film Festival in a surprise showing ahead of its global April 5th theatrical release, Deadline can confirm. The screening is expected to take place at Austin, TX’s Paramount Theatre at 6:30 p.m on March 18.

Super Bowl trailer for “Air,” a film that tells the story of how a multibillion-dollar shoe empire was built around another legendary sports champion: Michael Jordan. “Air” is the latest film made by longtime partners Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, with both men starring and producing with Affleck directing.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are teaming up once again to tell the story of maverick Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro and the creation of the iconic Air Jordan shoe brand. It’s the first time Affleck has directed Damon, a longtime collaborator and friend on features like “Good Will Hunting” and “The Last Duel,” the former of which earned the duo a Best Original Screenplay Oscar.Starring as Vaccaro, Damon leads the film directed by Affleck (who also stars), featuring a script by Alex Convery.

Refresh for updates…The Black List — the annual roundup of Hollywood’s best-liked unproduced screenplays — has begun unveiling the titles selected for 2022.

EXCLUSIVE: Jessica Green (The Outpost) is the latest addition to the cast of Ben Affleck’s Nike drama for Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports and Mandalay Pictures, in which Affleck will star opposite his Good Will Hunting collaborator Matt Damon.

EXCLUSIVE: While Ben Affleck just started Monday directing the untitled drama about maverick sneaker salesman Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon)’s dogged pursuit to get Michael Jordan to lace up in Nike shoes, Affleck and Damon are getting traction on their own groundbreaking endeavor.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are making their return. ET can confirm that Affleck and Damon will reunite for a still-untitled sports marketing film.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are reuniting once more. The close friends and frequent collaborators have announced their new project together, a film that explores Nike and how it managed to secure a partnership with Michael Jordan in the ‘80s, one of the most significant moments in sports marketing.Ben Affleck and Matt Damon talk about making ‘The Last Duel’ and working with Ridley ScottJennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s astrological read: What do the stars say about their future?Affleck and Damon will both star, co-write, and co-produce the film.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterBen Affleck can’t stop reuniting with his famous partners.The Oscar winner and co-screenwriter of “Good Will Hunting” is re-teaming with his Boston bestie Matt Damon on a new feature film from Amazon Studios, Sykdance Sports and Madalay Pictures. It will center on the sports marketing executive who relentlessly pursued basketball legend Michael Jordan in the mid-’80s. Affleck will direct, star and co-write.

Affleck, who will also direct the film, will play Nike co-founder Phil Knight while Damon will play the shoe company’s marketing chief Sonny Vacarro, who oversaw the deal with Jordan. Introduced in 1984 during Jordan’s rookie season with the Chicago Bulls, Nike’s Air Jordan sneakers became arguably the most iconic sneaker brand ever made and paved the way for the contemporary sneaker industry with athlete endorsements.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are reteaming for a Nike drama that Affleck will direct for Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports and Mandalay Pictures, Deadline can confirm.