Watch the first trailer for ‘Air,’ Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Nike movie

"Air" marks the first time Affleck has directed his childhood friend on the big screen.

Ben Affleck as Phil Knight in "Air." Amazon Studios

February 9, 2023

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are together again in the first trailer for “Air,” marking the first time Affleck has directed his childhood friend in a movie.

“Air,” which hits theaters April 5, chronicles the rise of Nike from scrappy upstart to apparel giant in the 1980s thanks in large part to Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro (Damon) finagling a game-changing partnership with then-rookie Michael Jordan.

Jordan’s immediate on-court success, coupled with Nike’s savvy marketing of its Air Jordan sneaker line, turned the company into the leading name in sportswear.

In the trailer, we see Damon trying to convince everyone around him that Jordan is the future of the company, with some resistance. Nike CEO Phil Knight (Affleck) doesn’t love the name “Air Jordan.” Fellow executive Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman) bemoans the company’s status as an underdog. And Michael Jordan’s mother, Deloris (Viola Davis), is suspicious of the pushy businessman who shows up on her front lawn.

“Air” marks Affleck’s first film serving as director since 2016’s “Live By Night,” and his first chance to direct Damon on the big screen. The film will also mark the first release for the pair’s new production company, Artists Equity, which will prioritize giving everyone who works on a movie — from the lead actor to the second associate producer — a bigger cut of the film’s profits.

Amazon Studios, which previously worked with Damon on “Manchester by the Sea,” will distribute the film with Warner Bros. Pictures, and will release “Air” on Prime Video after its theatrical run.

Along with Damon, Affleck, Bateman, and Davis, “Air” will star Chris Messina (“The Mindy Project”), Marlon Wayans (“Requiem for a Dream”), Chris Tucker (“Rush Hour”), and Matthew Maher (“Our Flag Means Death”).

Watch the first trailer for “Air” below.