MattDamon and BenAffleck discuss how they adapted the story of Nike's landmark deal with MichaelJordan in Air.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are Oscar-winning screenwriters for their work on Good Will Hunting, so they have a strong sense of how to make a successful movie. Yet, before starting work on their latest project, Air, Damon and Affleck knew that to make a movie about Michael Jordan, they needed to speak with “His Airness.”
Deloris Jordan, not Michael, had to be the protagonist Damon could not make the trip to see Jordan, but Affleck eventually met with the NBA Hall of Famer over lunch to discuss Air. Affleck wanted to center the film around Jordan and his game-changing partnership with Nike. During his conversation with Jordan, Affleck soon realized Jordan would not be the protagonist in this story.
“That’s like saying, ‘Can I get a basketball team together? Sure. It has to be Michael Jordan,'” Affleck said. “Then I thought, this is very typical of who this guy is. It has to be the very best. Absolutely. I knew it was incumbent on us to create a role that was worthy of Viola.”
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