SXSW Goes Wild for Ben Affleck’s Michael Jordan Basketball Shoes Biopic ‘Air’

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez packed on the PDA at the red carpet premiere of his new film, Air, on Monday night. Ben and Jennifer, who rekindled their early 2000s romance and got married last year, attended the red carpet premiere for Ben's new sports film which he both directed and stars in.The couple were seen posing together, and put on some PDA for the cameras as they were seen holding each other close before kissing. Jennifer wore a long-sleeved Antonia Grimaldi dress which had a sheer white top covered in rhinestones with a neon green maxi skirt that perfectly hugged her around her hips and waist.

Ben Affleck had some fun with his co-star Jason Bateman at the premiere of their movie AIR!

Jennifer Lopez is playing the role of supportive wife at the premiere of her husband Ben Affleck‘s new movie AIR!

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor As a director, Ben Affleck has proven himself to be a versatile, compelling talent, moving seamlessly from the morally complex “Gone Baby Gone” to the stark crime drama “The Town” to the tense and thrilling best picture winner “Argo.” Even Affleck’s one directorial misstep, the critically panned box office bomb “Live by Night,” has an intriguing gloss and conviction. That’s why it’s so difficult for many viewers to answer: “Which Affleck-directed joint is your favorite?” Well, that decision may get even harder with the arrival of “Air,” Affleck’s latest feature which premiered as the Closing Night film at the South by Southwest Film Festival earlier this month. 

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are amongst the thousands of fans that tune into “Yellowstone” whenever a new season drops. In an appearance on “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” Affleck revealed that he’s a bit “disturbed” by his wife’s love of the series.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s friendship and working partnership really does go all the way back to high school. At a Q&A after a New York screening of their latest project, "Air," the duo joked about working together for almost 40 years. Affleck, who directs and stars in the film with Damon, joked, "It's not the first time I've carried him," according to IndieWire.

Ben Affleck has revealed that Michael Jordan had a number of demands when it came to making the forthcoming movie Air.Affleck has directed and starred in the film, which is based upon the story of Nike’s courting of the former NBA superstar to create the now iconic Air Jordan trainer. Air is set to be released next month with Matt Damon in the role of shoe salesman Sonny Vaccaro, who spearheaded Nike‘s pursuit of Jordan.However, before cameras got rolling on the film, Affleck has revealed that approached the former basketball great to make sure he was happy with how the movie was set to play out. It turns out Jordan had a number of demands for Affleck, in return for his blessing – including a veto of who would play his beloved mother, Deloris.Speaking at the film’s premiere at the 2023 SXSW Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas, Affleck [as per Variety] said: “I had a chance to sit down with Michael Jordan, because I just wasn’t going to make this movie without asking him, ‘What matters to you?’ Interestingly, and tellingly, he had a few things that mattered.”One of Jordan’s demands was that the film feature Howard White, vice president of the Jordan brand and a Nike executive, who was not featured in the original script.

Matt Damon couldn’t just pick one favourite thing about working with his longtime friend Ben Affleck as a director on their new film “Air”.

Ben Affleck loves directing his longtime friend Matt Damon.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck enjoy a quick walk between promotional events for their new movie AIR.

Michael Jordan's mom in the new film, the basketball legend was adamant that the filmmakers ask Viola Davis.Now, Viola Davis is opening up to ET about Jordan's request, and how that played a factor in the way in which she approached the role.«You know, you're flattered at first and then the next second is pressure,» Davis admitted to ET at the SXSW film festival over the weekend. "[Pressure] to play the woman who basically is the orchestrator of this great athlete's life, you know?«In the film, Davis plays Deloris Jordan — while Davis' real-life husband, Julius Tennon, plays her on-screen husband and Jordan's father, James Jordan.

Ben Affleck meets up with Matt Damon and Viola Davis for a promo stop at ABC Studios in New York City on Monday (March 20).

Ben Affleck’s new film “Air” is premiering at SXSW. The film has garnered rave reviews and is an important one for Affleck, where not only he stars and directs but marks the first title made by his new production company, Artists Equity. In a new interview, Affleck spoke about his relationship with Michael Jordan and why his approval was so important to make the film.

Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck not only gained a wife, but also an actress for his movies!The actor has been promoting his upcoming film Air, which he directed and stars in, produced in collaboration with Matt Damon, who also stars in the biopic about Sonny Vaccaro and Nike co-founder Phil Knight and how Michael Jordan became the face of the brand.The film marks their very first project from their newly founded production company, Artists Equity, and not only are they already working on their second project, but they have also called in "a favor" from none other than J.Lo herself, who her husband says has been "a joy" to work with.WATCH: JLo and Ben Affleck argue at the Grammy's: but what did they say?MORE: Jennifer Lopez covers up in tiny towel in rare post-shower clipThe acting and producing duo confirmed during an appearance on CBS News that the multi-hyphenate will be the star of their next big project. The couple have a lot of projects on their plate as of late, as they recently moved into a new house together.Sharing details of the movie in the works, Ben said: "We're just getting rolling on working again with Amazon, to do the story of a wrestler named Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg and won a National Championship for Arizona State."MORE: Jennifer Lopez's revelation about her twins' different lives and personalities will surprise youHowever, he wasn't so forthcoming at first about confirming his wife was also a part of the project.

Ben Affleck opened up about his conversation with Michael Jordan before working on the biopic AIR.

Ben Affleck is turning to someone close to home for his next big film project. Affleck and producing partner Matt Damon recently opened up about an upcoming biopic the pair are developing and confirmed that Jennifer Lopez is set to star.Affleck and Damon recently sat down for an interview with, while promoting their upcoming film , which tells the story of Nike visionary Sonny Vaccaro and his efforts to make a groundbreaking promotional deal with a young Michael Jordan.The film was the first project from Damon and Affleck's newly formed production company, Artists Equity.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are opening up about their new movie, Air.

“Air” never quite does that — mostly due to choices in the script and direction — but it controls enough of the audience’s attention and provokes enough wonderment to deliver a solidly entertaining two hours.In 1984, Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) oversees scouting basketball talent for Nike sponsorship. At the time, the sneaker company was primarily known as shoes for runners with its basketball division dwindling.

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.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Americans spend tens of billions of dollars on basketball sneakers every year. Sure, everybody needs shoes, but it shouldn’t matter if your choice bears the Nike swoosh, Adidas’ three stripes or the Converse star. In most cases, consumers aren’t simply buying footwear; they’re investing in the fantasy of walking in someone else’s shoes — a sports star or personal idol — of believing that switching one’s kicks has a direct impact on your potential for greatness. As the Nike marketing gurus in Ben Affleck’s “Air” put it, “A shoe is just a shoe until someone steps into.” If you’ve been alive on earth in the last 40 years, then you already know what happened when a rookie named Michael Jordan let Nike put his name and likeness on their shoes. But “Air” isn’t about convincing the greatest basketball player in the history of the game to sign with Nike, although a “Jerry Maguire”-desperate Matt Damon — as paunchy, flop-sweating Sonny Vaccaro — might trick you into thinking this is just the (admittedly very entertaining) anatomy of a landmark business deal.