We have the first trailer for One Night in Miami. Amazon is releasing the movie, which is the feature directorial debut from Oscar-winner Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk, Watchmen). There is clear hope that this will be an awards season favorite, and it’s easy to see why. It is based on the award-winning play of the same name by Kemp Powers. It also features icons such as Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, Jim Brown and Muhamed Ali crossing paths on one fateful night. Per the studio, it is “a fictional account inspired by the historic night these four formidable figures spent together.” As we can see, history and fiction make for quite the mixture in this case.
The trailer shows us Cassius Clay (Eli Goree), Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) gathering together in celebration. Cassius has just become heavyweight champion of the world, and that is more than enough reason for them to head out for a night on the town. We get little glimpses of each respective icon doing what they do best, be it boxing, football, singing or inspiring cultural change. Even though this is a fictional take on the night in question, it does appear to be an authentic look at each of these legendary figures.
The cast also includes Joaquina Kalukango (Chained for Life), Nicolette Robinson (The Affair), Beau Bridges (The Fabulous Baker Boys) and Lance Reddick (John Wick). Kemp Powers penned the screenplay. The movie is produced by Jess Wu Calder, Keith Calder and Jody Klein. Amazon scooped up the global rights to the movie back in July, signaling that they have a lot of faith in what Regina King has managed to do behind the camera. Regina King has been on a roll in recent years in front of the screen. King has four Emmy wins and five nominations to her name since 2015, to go along with her Best Supporting Actress Oscar win in 2019. Now, she’s expanding the scope of what she can accomplish.
One Night in Miami centers on one incredible night in 1964, four icons of sports, music, and activism gathered to celebrate one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. When underdog Cassius Clay, who would soon be called Muhammad Ali, (Eli Goree), beats heavyweight champion Sonny Liston at the Miami Convention Hall, Clay celebrated the event with three of his friends: Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge). The movie “looks at the struggles these men faced and the vital role they each played in the civil rights movement and cultural upheaval of the 1960s.”
Amazon intends to give the movie an awards-friendly run in theaters starting next month. One Night in Miami will first arrive in select theaters on Christmas Day, December 25. It will then arrive for Prime Video subscribers on January 15, 2021. Be sure to check out the new trailer for yourself from the Amazon Prime Video YouTube channel.
