Everything We Learned From The Super Bowl 2023 Trailers
1. Michael Jordan Won't Appear On Screen - Air
Last summer, Ben Affleck quietly shot a drama centered around Nike's eventually successful effort to sign Michael Jordan to promote their shoes, and the first trailer dropped a few days before the Super Bowl.
An additional TV spot for Air dropped during the game itself, seeming to confirm that audiences shouldn't actually expect to see Michael Jordan in the movie.
Rather, the focus appears to be on the particulars of the shoe deal, with Michael's parents Deloris (Viola Davis) and James (Julius Tennon) effectively serving as stand-ins for MJ.
It's an odd and inevitably divisive decision given that many would certainly love to see a name actor playing a young MJ, but it's also easy to appreciate the difficulty in finding an actor who can encompass the larger-than-life appeal of the sporting legend.
According to Deadline the film will paint Jordan as a "giant mythic figure hovering above the movie and never seen" - a bold and interesting choice albeit one that's already caught plenty of flak for, in the eyes of some, pushing one of the most iconic Black sportsmen of all time to the periphery.