News Analysis India

Tag: Nike

  • Ben Affleck’s ‘Air’ to release on April 5

    By Express News Service

    The trailer of ‘Air’, the upcoming film about the partnership between basketball player Michael Jordan and Nike, was released by the makers during the Super Bowl annual final playoff game. The film, directed by Ben Affleck, hits screens on April 5.

    According to the trailer, the film is about how Sonny Vaccaro, the marketing genius, steered Nike Inc. to rope in Jordan for the first sneaker deal. It also gives a glimpse of how Air will focus on Vaccaro’s ambitious dreams before achieving the Jordan-Nike partnership and Deloris’ (Jordan’s mother) involvement in the deal.

    According to the makers, “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.” 

    Viola Davis is Michael’s mother Deloris Jordan, Matt Damon plays a Nike executive and Ben is Nike co-founder Phil Knight. 

    The trailer of ‘Air’, the upcoming film about the partnership between basketball player Michael Jordan and Nike, was released by the makers during the Super Bowl annual final playoff game. The film, directed by Ben Affleck, hits screens on April 5.

    According to the trailer, the film is about how Sonny Vaccaro, the marketing genius, steered Nike Inc. to rope in Jordan for the first sneaker deal. It also gives a glimpse of how Air will focus on Vaccaro’s ambitious dreams before achieving the Jordan-Nike partnership and Deloris’ (Jordan’s mother) involvement in the deal.

    According to the makers, “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.” 

    Viola Davis is Michael’s mother Deloris Jordan, Matt Damon plays a Nike executive and Ben is Nike co-founder Phil Knight. 

  • Jason Bateman, Viola Davis join cast of Ben Affleck’s Nike drama 

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Actors Jason Bateman, Viola Davis, Chris Tucker, Marlon Wayans and Chris Messina are the latest addition to the cast of Ben Affleck’s untitled Nike drama.

    Affleck will be starring in and directing the movie for Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports and Mandalay Pictures. According to Deadline, Matthew Maher, Tom Papa and Julius Tennon round out the cast.

    The sports marketing film will narrate the story of Nike, the footwear manufacturing company.

    Affleck will star as Nike co-founder Phil Knight in the story surrounding the company’s longshot effort to sign Michael Jordan in the mid-’80s, an endorsement that seemed impossible at the time but which would become the most significant relationship between an athletic brand and an athlete and launched the global, multibillion-dollar contemporary sneaker industry.

    The “Argo” helmer is reuniting with his longtime friend and “Good Will Hunting” co-writer Matt Damon for the project.

    Damon will play Sonny Vaccaro, the legendary sneaker salesman who signed basketball great Jordan to his first sneaker deal in the initial days of Nike.

    The film is based on Alex Convery’s original script titled ‘Air Jordan’, which was named to the 2021 Black List of the best unproduced screenplays. The project is currently being filmed in Los Angeles.

  • Ben Affleck, Matt Damon to reunite for feature on Nike

    By Express News Service

    Hollywood actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon will reteam for a feature drama that will tell the story of the popular footwear manufacturing company Nike.

    Affleck will also direct the film from an original script by Alex Convery. Damon will play Sonny Vaccaro, the legendary sneaker salesman who memorably signed basketball great Michael Jordan to his first sneaker deal in the initial days of Nike.

    Affleck will play Nike co-founder Phil Knight in the story surrounding the company’s longshot effort to sign Jordan in the mid-’80s, an endorsement that seemed impossible at the time but which would become the most significant relationship between an athletic brand and an athlete and launched the global, multibillion-dollar contemporary sneaker industry.

    Notably, the two stars will also write a new screenplay draft based on Convery’s original draft. The yet-untitled film is produced by Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports and Mandalay Pictures. This is the first time Affleck is directing his longtime friend Damon. The duo co-wrote and starred together in Gus Van Sant’s 1997 film Good Will Hunting.

  • Nike hits pause button for Travis Scott Air Max 1 launch due to Astroworld tragedy

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: In the wake of the Astroworld Festival tragedy, Nike announced on Monday that it is pausing its collaboration with rapper Travis Scott.

    As per People magazine, the popular company would be delaying the release of the Air Max 1 x Cactus Jack shoe “out of respect for everyone impacted by the tragic events at the Astroworld Festival.”

    The shoes were initially set to drop on December 16. Nike did not provide additional details on the collaboration.

    Scott began collaborating with Nike in 2017 with the release of his first Air Force 1 design. In June 2018, he followed up on the AF-1 with his baby blue Cactus Jack Air Jordan 4 with red accents.

    Scott’s other Nike partnerships over the last few years include the Air Jordan 33, the Air Jordan 1, Air Jordan 6, another pair of Air Forces, and the SB Dunk.

    Due to a fatal crowd surge at the Astroworld Festival on November 5, ten people died and more than 300 people were injured. At least 36 lawsuits have been filed against Scott and concert organisers over the incident.

    The victims have been identified as Ezra Blount, 9, Jacob Jurinek, 21, John Hilgert, 14, Brianna Rodriguez, 16, Franco Patino, 21, Axel Acosta, 21, Rudy Pena, 23, Madison Dubiski, 23, Danish Baig, 27, and Bharti Shahani, 22.

    Following the event, Scott posted a series of videos to his Instagram Story on Saturday, saying he was “horrified” by what happened at his show and pledging to help the victims’ families.