Air Michael Jordan will not be shown directly on screen, said star Ben Affleck. Set to hit theaters on April 5, the film follows Matt Damon as Nike salesman Sonny Vaccaro, who pursues a partnership with the basketball legend, resulting in celebrated Air Jordans. Affleck stars as Nike founder Phil Knight opposite Damon.
This week, The Hollywood Reporter A profile of Affleck sat in front release of Air. While discussing the film, he said that no one portrays Jordan on screen. He said that the sports icon “exists on and around the story” rather than being a direct on-screen character. Read his full quote below:
Jordan is huge. It exists above and around the story, but if you describe it clearly and say, “Yeah, that’s Michael Jordan,” we know it’s not. This is fake. I thought it would work well to bring everything that the audience thinks and remembers about him and what he means to them and put that into the film.
Why not show Michael Jordan in the air
Given that a large part of the movie is about Jordan, it makes sense that he would be in it Air to some degree. The star could even play himself as he has acting experience in films like the 1996 classic Space Jam. However, there are very serious reasons why the person himself remains off the screen.
First of all, its existence is a fact story Air It’s a seemingly unattainable goal, a kind of Mount Everest that Damon’s character must climb. Keeping Jordan off-screen helps emphasize how fantastic he looks while trying to execute his idea. Another thing preventing him from being shown on screen would be his status as a legendary figure in the world of sports and pop culture in general.
Another actor was brought in to play the younger version of Jordan Air they put a lot of expectations on their shoulders, which they may not be able to fulfill. The only other option would have been for Jordan to play himself using aging technology, an option that was well outside the film’s budget. It makes sense for the directors to leave the image of Jordan documentaries like The last dance rather than acting on their own.
Source: THR