The Genesis of ‘Air:’ Writer Alex Convery Says He Never Thought the Movie Would Get Made

Is Air a heist movie? In no uncertain times, yes—and intentionally so.

As writer Alex Convery explained to Complex during a 30-minute chat conducted amid sustaining post-SXSW hype, the process-focused works of Steven Soderbergh were among the films he turned to as inspiration when writing the script for Air.

The film tells a story that’s at least somewhat familiar to almost every single person on the planet: Namely, the genesis of Michael Jordan’s Nike sneaker, the Air Jordan. Incredibly, it manages to do so while bringing together a seemingly disparate range of influences. It’s a heist film, yes, but it’s also a Jerry Maguire-y root-for-the-guy-with-the-crazy-idea rollercoaster ride. It’s a bit Moneyball, too. There are sprinklings of a classic Sorkin walk-and-talk.

But at the core of it all, indisputably, it is simply a great story—the cinematic telling of which started not with Ben Affleck-adjacent ambitions but with an expectation that, at best, Convery would get a solid writing exercise out of the experience. “I’d be lying if I said I thought it would be anything other than a good writing sample that would be read around town and would probably get me another paid writing job,” the screenwriter tells Complex. “I never thought—there was no world in which it could get made.”

In 2021, the screenplay appeared on the Black List under an alternate title, Air Jordan. The following April, industry trades revealed that Ben Affleck and Matt Damon had boarded the project with Amazon Studios. Fast forward to March of this year, and the Convery-penned film was getting an enthusiastic standing ovation upon its premiere as part of the 2023 SXSW lineup.

Below, see Complex’s conversation with Convery in full, detailing how an early pandemic flash of inspiration kickstarted a year-long journey in Final Draft that eventually led him to Affleck and company.

This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.