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Xbox is right now in a pretty bad phase. The highly hailed console company had to shut down four of its internal studios as a cost-cutting measure. The miserable state continues as the company was fined a staggering $13.4 million for infringing patents in two games.

It looks like Xbox’s knack for getting into bad situations is not a recent habit; it carries on from way back in 2001 when the company rejected probably the most popular title of that time to surface on its platform.

Xbox Rejected Grand Theft Auto 3

Grand Theft Auto 3 was supposed to launch on Xbox.

Microsoft has a mini-documentary series named Power On: The Story of Xbox, with a total of six episodes that showcase the journey of Xbox. In the third episode of the series, the former Xbox Head of Third Party Relationships, Kevin Bachus, revealed that Rockstar Games originally approached Xbox to land GTA 3 on their console platform.

After 38 days in theaters, Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports, Mandalay Pictures, and Artists Equity’s Air will stream on Prime Video on May 12 in more than 240 countries.

The Ben Affleck directed, and starring movie about Nike courting a young Michael Jordan to make the signature Air Jordan show repped Amazon’s return to theatrical releases after a day-and-date strategy. The pic opened to $20.2M over the five day Easter holiday and now counts over $47.6M stateside.

Air notched a 92% Certified Fresh Tomatometer rating among critics, a 98% verified audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and an A CinemaScore.

Matt Damon plays maverick Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro and Affleck plays Nike co-founder Phil Knight, with Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser, Chris Messina as David Falk, Matthew Maher as Peter Moore, Marlon Wayans as George Raveling, Chris Tucker as Howard White, Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan, and Gustaf Skarsgård as Horst Dassler, among others. The...

Today it was announced that Ben Affleck’s Air, from Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports, Mandalay Pictures, and the first project from Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity, will premiere in India exclusively on Prime Video on May 12 in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

Air has been praised by audiences and critics alike, currently boasting a 92% “Certified Fresh” Tomatometer rating and a 98% verified audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and an “A” CinemaScore.

From award-winning director Ben Affleck, Air reveals the unbelievable game-changing partnership between a then-rookie Michael Jordan and Nike’s fledgling basketball division, which revolutionized the world of sports and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand. 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.

Although Ben Affleck’s Air will tell the story of the “game-changing partnership” between Nike and the then-rookie Michael Jordan, the NBA superstar doesn’t actually appear in the movie. While speaking on the Inside Total Film podcast, Ben Affleck explained the choice not to include Michael Jordan as a character.

“Admittedly, we made as much a sort of fable as anything else, because it’s really about a character who never appears in the movie, in Michael Jordan,” Ben Affleck explained. “I felt that he’s just too iconic and recognizable and special, where you immediately would know the whole thing was a lie if I tried to tell you somebody else was Michael Jordan.” Affleck continued: “Fundamentally, what I love about it is that it’s actually about the person that I feel guided him, and serves to represent women like her all over the world, particularly in the United States,...

When Ben Affleck presented the world premiere of his new film Air at South by Southwest Film & Ftv Festival in Austin earlier this month, the director, producer and star of the Amazon Studios release called it “the most important night of my professional life.”

Monday night in Westwood must’ve been a close second.

Affleck turned up to the Regency Village Theatre for the L.A. premiere of his new film, which traces the roots of a game-changing partnership between a then-rookie Michael Jordan and Nike’s fledgling basketball division which revolutionized the world of sports and culture with the Air Jordan brand.

It casts Matt Damon as Nike’s resident basketball expert, Sonny Vaccaro, Affleck as Nike founder and CEO Phil Knight, Jason Bateman as Nike marketing chief Rob Strasser, Chris Tucker as Howard White, Sonny’s colleague and advisor, Chris Messina as Jordan’s agent David Falk, Marlon Wayans...

From award-winning director Ben Affleck, Air reveals the unbelievable game-changing partnership between a then rookie Michael Jordan and Nike’s fledgling basketball division which revolutionized the world of sports and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand. 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.

Air features an all-star cast, including Matt Damon as maverick Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro, Ben Affleck as Nike co-founder Phil Knight, and Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan. Additional cast includes Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser, Chris Messina as David Falk, Marlon Wayans as George Raveling, Chris Tucker as Howard White, Matthew Maher as Peter Moore, Gustaf Skarsgård as Horst Dassler, and Julius Tennon as James Jordan.

Air reunites Ben Affleck and Matt Damon,...

Ben Affleck’s Air operates in a respectful and deeply reverential register when it comes to its subject, his family and the sport in which he made his legacy. The film, which premiered at SXSW, chronicles the tense Nike campaign to sign Michael Jordan, then an NBA rookie, to his first sneaker deal in 1984. That contract, closed a year before the first Air Jordans were sold to the public, changed Nike’s reputation and altered the way players negotiated brand deals.

Movies about corporate legalities and closed-door meetings are rarely anyone’s idea of a good time, but there are ways to inject them with energy. Tetris, for example, which also premiered at SXSW this year, took the genre route, turning the history of a video game licensing battle into a Cold War thriller. In Air, Affleck attaches himself to the sentimental, reaching for a narrative that recasts the deal...

“Viola, I love you. Your outfit is eating.”

That was but one of many laudatory comments the cast and crew of Air received following its premiere at the SXSW Film & TV Festival in Austin, Texas, and it prompted the film’s director and co-star, Ben Affleck, to crack, “I never get that comment… but well-deserved, and I see why!” (For the record, Davis looked flawless in an all-white suit.)

A late entry — and the closing-night film — to the fest, the Amazon Studios feature explores the creation of the first Air Jordan sneaker,...

Mumbai, March 15 (Ians) The upcoming Ben Affleck directorial ‘Air’ which stars Matt Damon as the maverick Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro will be the closing film at the ongoing edition of the SXSW Film & TV Festival. After this, the film will be released in cinemas on April 5.

‘Air’ presents the unbelievable game-changing partnership between a then-rookie Michael Jordan and Nike’s fledgling basketball division which revolutionised the world of sports and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand.

Claudette Godfrey, VP of Film & TV, SXSW, said in a statement: “We are thrilled to close out the 2023 SXSW Film & TV Festival with Air. Ben Affleck has crafted an exceptional film filled with outstanding performances that capture the emotional ride behind the creation of this legendary brand. We know it will be a true one-of-a-kind experience for our SXSW crowda.

The film’s story follows the career-defining gamble of an unconventional team with everything on the line,...

Ben Affleck as Phil Knight in Air Photo: Courtesy Of Amazon Studios © Amazon Content Services LLC

From award-winning director Ben Affleck, Air reveals the unbelievable game-changing partnership between a then-rookie Michael Jordan and Nike’s fledgling basketball division which revolutionized the world of sports and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand. 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.

Check out the brand new Air spot from the Big Game and see the movie courtside April 5.

Air features an all-star cast, including Matt Damon as maverick Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro, Ben Affleck as Nike co-founder Phil Knight, and Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan. Additional cast includes Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser, Chris Messina as David Falk,...

Mumbai, Feb 10 (Ians) The Ben Affleck directorial ‘Air’ brings to light the game-changing partnership between a then rookie Michael Jordan and Nike’s fledgling basketball division which revolutionised the world of sports and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand. The film is set to have a direct-to-digital release in India.

The 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.

The film sees Matt Damon playing the maverick Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro and Affleck stepping into the shoes of Nike co-founder Phil Knight.

Talking about the film, Ben Affleck said: “Matt and I are very excited for audiences to see Air and proud that it’s the first release from Artists Equity. The movie was...

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are back in Amazon’s new trailer for Air, a dramedy about the rise of Nike.

The Good Will Hunting pair costar as the clothing giant’s cofounder Phil Knight (Affleck) and executive Sonny Vaccaro (Damon). Affleck also directs.

The story begins in 1984 when Nike is then just the third-biggest shoe company in the industry, and Vaccaro is charged with growing the company’s basketball division.

To do so, Vaccaro embarks on a quest to sign a certain rookie basketball player named Michael Jordan, coming up against his protective mother Deloris Jordan, played by Viola Davis.

The result is, of course, the development of one of the most iconic shoes of all time, the Air Jordan, which was largely responsible for Nike overtaking its biggest competitor, Adidas.

“This moving story follows the career-defining gamble of an unconventional team with everything on the line, the uncompromising...

For those of us who don’t know our Nike basketball shoe history, the trailer for Ben Affleck’s Air pretty much lays out the entire story. Affleck stars in and directs a retelling of the true story of how Nike’s decision to take a chance on Michael Jordan changed the company’s fortune.

The trailer arrived online prior to the film’s Super Bowl spot and was accompanied by six new photos.

Affleck stars as Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his offscreen Bff Matt Damon, who he’s never directed in a feature film up until Air, plays Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro (the man who made it all happen.) The cast also includes Viola Davis as Michael Jordan’s mom, Deloris Jordan. Jason Bateman plays Rob Strasser, Chris Messina is David Falk, Marlon Wayans is George Raveling, Chris Tucker is Howard White, Matthew Maher is Peter Moore, Gustaf Skarsgård is Horst Dassler,...

Air directed by Ben Affleck, the first project from Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity, will premiere this year on Prime Video. “Ben, Matt, and this all-star cast have delivered a fantastic film that will move, inspire, and entertain audiences around the globe,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon and MGM Studios. “With Ben’s incredible direction, the film delivers a nostalgic look back at a culture-defining moment that absolutely lends itself to a global theatrical event.”

Said director Ben Affleck, “Matt and I are very excited for audiences to see Air and proud that it’s the first release from Artists Equity. The movie was an extraordinary experience where we had the honour of working with some of the best cast and crew in the business, all of whom brought passion, persistence, and creativity to a collective effort at recreating a remarkable and aspirational story. I appreciate and...

Moviegoers have gotten their first glimpse of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s upcoming movie about Nike’s game-changing early days.

A trailer for Air dropped Thursday in advance of a Super Bowl spot for the Affleck-directed film, which is from Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports and Mandalay Pictures.

Damon stars as Sonny Vaccaro, the maverick Nike salesman who signed rising basketball player Michael Jordan to a shoe contract in the mid-’80s that launched the global, multibillion-dollar contemporary sneaker industry.

Affleck plays Nike co-founder Phil Knight, while Viola Davis stars as Deloris Jordan, who was instrumental in negotiating the deal on behalf of her son.

Additional cast includes Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser, Chris Messina as David Falk, Marlon Wayans as George Raveling, Chris Tucker as Howard White, Matthew Maher as Peter Moore, Gustaf Skarsgård as Horst Dassler and Julius Tennon as James Jordan.

Amazon and Affleck announced last month...

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are teaming up once again to tell the story of maverick Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro and the creation of the iconic Air Jordan shoe brand.

It’s the first time Affleck has directed Damon, a longtime collaborator and friend on features like “Good Will Hunting” and “The Last Duel,” the former of which earned the duo a Best Original Screenplay Oscar.

Also Read:

Ben Affleck’s Nike Tale ‘Air’ Sets Global Theatrical Release From Amazon Studios

Starring as Vaccaro, Damon leads the film directed by Affleck (who also stars), featuring a script by Alex Convery. The new movie tells the true story of the partnership between Michael Jordan, a then-rookie with grand ambitions, and Nike’s fledging basketball division. Charting the creation of the Air Jordan brand, whose legacy still impacts popular culture today, “Air” will portray the greatest basketball player of all time in...

Los Angeles, Jan 24 (Ians) Hollywood star Ben Affleck’s next directorial effort ‘Air’, about the birth of the Air Jordan brand and the partnership between Nike and a rookie Michael Jordan, has set an April 5 global theatrical release date, before it heads to streaming platform Prime Video.

The film is the first project from Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity, in collaboration with Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports and Mandalay Pictures, reports ‘Variety’.

The starry cast includes Damon as Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro, Affleck as Nike co-founder Phil Knight, Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser, Chris Messina as David Falk, Matthew Maher as Peter Moore, Marlon Wayans as George Raveling, Chris Tucker as Howard White, Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan, Gustaf Skarsgard as Horst Dassler and Julius Tennon as James Jordan

Alex Convery wrote ‘Air’, which is produced by David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, Jon Weinbach, Affleck, Damon, Madison Ainley, Jeff Robinov,...

Hollywood star Ben Affleck’s next directorial effort ‘Air’, about the birth of the Air Jordan brand and the partnership between Nike and a rookie Michael Jordan, has set an April 5 global theatrical release date, before it heads to streaming platform Prime Video.

The film is the first project from Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity, in collaboration with Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports and Mandalay Pictures, reports ‘Variety’.

The starry cast includes Damon as Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro, Affleck as Nike co-founder Phil Knight, Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser, Chris Messina as David Falk, Matthew Maher as Peter Moore, Marlon Wayans as George Raveling, Chris Tucker as Howard White, Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan, Gustaf Skarsgard as Horst Dassler and Julius Tennon as James Jordan

Alex Convery wrote ‘Air’, which is produced by David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, Jon Weinbach, Affleck, Damon, Madison Ainley, Jeff Robinov, Peter Guber and Jason Michael Berman.

Ben Affleck’s Nike film “Air” will officially be a slamdunk in theaters.

Directed by Oscar winner Affleck, “Air” captures the unbelievable game-changing partnership between a then-rookie Michael Jordan and Nike’s fledgling basketball division that revolutionized the world of sports and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand, per an official synopsis. 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.

“Air” is the first project from Affleck and longtime collaborator Matt Damon’s Artists Equity production banner. The film will have a wide global theatrical release April 5, 2023, in advance of its premiere in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide on Prime Video. The theatrical deal is the first kind of arrangement for Amazon Studios,...

Ben Affleck’s latest directorial effort, “Air,” will get a global theatrical release from Amazon Studios on April 5, ahead of its global streaming premiere on Prime Video.

“Air,” from Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports, Mandalay Pictures, and the first project from Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity, features what is being described as a “first of its kind arrangement” with Amazon Studios distributing the film globally with Warner Bros. Pictures handling international as part of its distribution pact with Amazon’s MGM.

The new movie tells the true story of the partnership between Michael Jordan, a then-rookie with grand ambitions, and Nike’s fledging basketball division. Charting the creation of the Air Jordan brand, whose legacy still impacts popular culture today, “Air” will portray the greatest basketball player of all time in his earliest days and the drive that made him such a force of nature (on and off the...

Ben Affleck’s next directorial effort “Air,” about the birth of the Air Jordan brand and the partnership between Nike and a rookie Michael Jordan, has set an April 5 global theatrical release date, before it heads to Prime Video.

The film is the first project from Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity, in collaboration with Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports and Mandalay Pictures.

The starry cast includes Damon as Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro, Affleck as Nike co-founder Phil Knight, Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser, Chris Messina as David Falk, Matthew Maher as Peter Moore, Marlon Wayans as George Raveling, Chris Tucker as Howard White, Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan, Gustaf Skarsgård as Horst Dassler and Julius Tennon as James Jordan

Alex Convery wrote “Air,” which is produced by David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, Jon Weinbach, Affleck, Damon, Madison Ainley, Jeff Robinov, Peter Guber and Jason Michael Berman. Executive producers include Dana Goldberg,...

Fifteen digital and streaming producers and assignment desk editors at Minnesota’s Wcco-tv have been officially recognized as a bargaining unit of SAG-AFTRA after a unanimous vote sanctioned by the National Labor Relations Board. The employees at the CBS affiliate in Minneapolis, who produce digital content and source info for the newsroom, Wcco.com and the CBS News Minnesota streaming service, began organizational discussions with the union in January 2019. On-air Wcco-tv employees and newsroom producers were already members of the union.

“These digital producers and assignment desk editors have sent a strong message about the power of community and solidarity,” said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director. “Their unanimous vote to join their colleagues at the station reinforces their commitment to their colleagues and to the craft of journalism.

“On behalf of the Twin Cities Local Board, I congratulate the Wcco digital and streaming team, and assignment desk editors,...

Exclusive: Joel Gretsch (All Rise) and Gustaf Skarsgård (Oppenheimer) are the latest additions to the cast of Ben Affleck’s Nike film for Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports and Mandalay Pictures. They join a star-studded ensemble led by Matt Damon and Affleck in the as-yet-untitled sports marketing pic, which will ultimately premiere on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

The drama has Damon playing maverick sneaker salesman and former Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro, with Affleck as Nike co-founder Phil Knight, in a story about Nike’s long-shot effort to sign Michael Jordan to its shoe company in the mid-’80s. It was an endorsement that seemed impossible at the time, but would become the most significant relationship between an athletic brand and an athlete ever, and launched the global, multibillion-dollar contemporary sneaker industry. Pic’s ensemble will also include Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser, Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan,...

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s upcoming movie about the sports marketing executive who relentlessly pursued basketball legend Michael Jordan in the mid-’80s has added a troupe of all-star actors to its line-up.

Emmy-winner Jason Bateman, Academy Award-winner Viola Davis, Chris Tucker and Marlon Wayans have signed on to star opposite Affleck and Damon in Prime Video’s untitled film, along with Matthew Maher, Chris Messina, Tom Papa and Julius Tennon.

Damon plays maverick sneaker salesman and former Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro, and Affleck plays Nike co-founder Phil Knight in the film, from Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports and Mandalay Pictures. The movie tells the story of Nike’s long-shot effort to sign Jordan to the shoe company, an endorsement that seemed impossible at the time, but would become the most significant relationship between an athletic brand and an athlete. The strategic partnership helped launch the global, multibillion-dollar contemporary sneaker industry.

Ben Affleck has rounded out the cast for his upcoming film about Nike and its efforts to sign Michael Jordan to an endorsement deal, adding Jason Bateman, Viola Davis, Chris Tucker, Marlon Wayans and more to star alongside both himself and Matt Damon.

Also joining the cast are Matthew Maher, Tom Papa, Chris Messina and Julius Tennon. Affleck is directing the film from a script he collaborated on with Damon and was written by Alex Convery, eventually landing on the 2021 Black List of unproduced screenplays.

The untitled Nike film is set at Amazon Studios from Skydance Sports and Mandalay Pictures, and production has recently begun in Los Angeles.

Also Read:

Exclusive ‘They Call Me Magic’ Sneak Peek: Magic Johnson Recalls Epic ‘No Wives Invited’ Pool Parties (Video)

Damon, whom Affleck is directing for the first time despite their long history of collaborating, in the movie plays maverick sneaker salesman and former Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro,...

Exclusive: Ben Affleck’s untitled Nike drama for Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports and Mandalay Pictures has assembled a stellar cast, with Jason Bateman (Ozark), Viola Davis (The Woman King), Chris Tucker (Rush Hour franchise), Marlon Wayans (Respect) and Chris Messina (Sharp Objects) signing on for roles, along with Matthew Maher (Our Flag Means Death), Tom Papa (Behind the Candelabra) and Julius Tennon (The Simone Biles Story: Courage to Soar).

Director Affleck alsi is starring in the pic, which started production Monday in Los Angeles, alongside his fellow Good Will Hunting star, Oscar winner Matt Damon.

Matt Damon & Ben Affleck Launching Production Company With RedBird Capital’s Gerry Cardinale Funding & Jeff Robinov Circling

The untitled sports marketing film will tell the incredible story of how maverick sneaker salesman Sonny Vaccaro (Damon) led a fledgling running shoe company called Nike in its pursuit of the most transformative athlete in the history of sports: Michael Jordan.

As Pc gamers continue to leave the format in favour of consoles, Electronic Arts has revealed it is to limit the number of sports games it releases on Pc this year.

Ea boss Peter Moore wrote on his blog that the firm has been forced to cut its Pc sports output as the majority of gamers are "playing [their] favourite sports games on the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii".

The first title to lose out on Pc is Madden '09, which will now only be released on console.

Despite the news, however, Moore said Ea still has "ideas for how to revitalize the Pc for sports games”.

Moore wrote: "We knew that our decision to not develop this year's . . .