“It made me understand the cultural implications of the historic agreement”

Ben Affleck – about seven years after his last directorial effort, the neo-noir The law of the night – returned behind the camera with Air – The story of the great leapepic between biopic and sports movie, which tells of historic agreement between Nike and Michael Jordanwhich led to the launch of iconic AIR Jordans and at the beginning of an authentic socio-cultural revolution. In a recent interview, Affleck revealed that he used one special consultant for the making of the film

, his wife Jennifer Lopezwhich helped him understand the impact of that agreement on the world of fashion, entertainment and society in general.

Air – Jennifer Lopez’s role in the realization of the project

The Hollywood Reporter dedicated a long cover story to Ben Affleckon the occasion of the theatrical release of Air – in Italy it will be in theaters from April 6th -, retracing the past, present and future of his prolific career. Speaking of the development of his latest project, the actor and director then revealed that he has involved Jennifer Lopez in the realization of the project, who put her extraordinary knowledge of the fashion world to good use:

It’s brilliant. She has an incredible knowledge of how fashion evolves through culture, in constant synergy with music, sport, entertainment and dance. It helped me realize that the main reason AIR Jordans have had such a significant impact is that culture and style in America is 90% driven by the African-American community. Their culture has historically influenced music, dance, fashion… And it was then subject to appropriations, modifications, thefts (…) In this case, Nike, a reality run by white people, was starting to make business with African-American athletes, managing to sell billions of products thanks to the identification process. They were literally exploiting Michael Jordan’s worth and identity. They slowly went from just selling nice shoes to selling an idea. Kids wanted to wear Michael Jordan’s shoes—because of the precise value it had to his career and his persona.

As can be seen from the words of Ben Affleck, Air it won’t be the simple story of the agreement between Nike and Michael Jordan – authored by Sonny Vaccaro, former marketing executive of some of the most important sports brands – but will explore

Also the implications that deal had on society come on an industry that, in the 1980s, was trying to make dramatic changes and keep pace with the ever-changing times. Air is produced by Artist Equity by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and boasts the presence in the castas well as the two actors, Viola Davis, Chris Messina, Jason Bateman, Matthew Maher, Marlon Wayans, Chris Tucker, Gustaf Skarsgard and Julius Tennon. Appointment therefore at April 6thto discover the extraordinary consequences of a legendary partnership.