'One Night In Miami': Release date, plot, cast, trailer and everything you need to know about Regina King's big-screen directorial debut
Academy Award, Golden Globe and Emmy winner Regina King is finally going to direct her first film for the big screen, after her stints as a successful actor and television director. The movie is an adaptation of the 2013 play 'One Night in Miami', written by Kemp Powers. The film has been produced by Snoot Entertainment ('Blindspotting', 'Little Monsters') and ABKCO. 'One Night in Miami' opened in a limited theatrical release on December 25 after its being shown at the Toronto International Film Festival and Venice Film Festival.
Release Date:
The film premieres on Amazon on January 15, 2021.
Plot:
Set on the night of February 25, 1964, the story follows the 22-year-old, pre-Muhammad Ali fame Cassius Clay after he emerged from the Miami Beach Convention Center as the 'World Heavyweight Boxing Champion'. He had defeated Sonny Liston in a historic fight that shocked the world of boxing. Crowds of people swarmed Miami Beach’s nightclubs to celebrate. Clay — unable to stay on the island because of Jim Crow-era segregation laws — spent the night in his hotel room at the Hampton House Motel in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood. He had decided to celebrate his victory with three of his friends: activist Malcolm X, singer Sam Cooke and football star Jim Brown. The next morning, the men emerged, determined to change the world.
The official synopsis reads: “One Night in Miami is a fictional account of one incredible night where icons Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown gathered discussing their roles in the civil rights movement and cultural upheaval of the 60s.”
Cast:
Kingsley Ben-Adir as Malcolm X
Ben-Adir plays Malcolm X, the iconic Civil Rights era leader. Ben-Adir has appeared in productions like 'King Arthur: Legend of the Sword', 'The Commuter', and 'Noelle'. On Showtime’s 'The Comey Rule', he played Barack Obama and private detective Karim Washington on the second season of the Netflix series 'The OA'.
Eli Goree as Cassius Clay
Goree plays Cassius Clay, the youngest heavyweight champ in the country at the time. It is a breakout role for Goree, whose few other film credits include an unnamed character in 2014’s Godzilla and recurring roles on 'Ballers', 'Riverdale', and 'GLOW'.
Leslie Odom Jr. as Sam Cooke
Odom Jr. plays Sam Cooke, who was a renowned Black musician, one of the first to start his own record label. Odom Jr. is best known for playing the morally ambiguous Aaron Burr in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical 'Hamilton', for which he won a Tony and Grammy. He has appeared in a variety of Broadway productions, including 'Rent', 'Dreamgirls', and 'Leap of Faith'. He has released four solo albums.
Aldis Hodge as Jim Brown
Hodge plays Jim Brown, the star footballer of the National Football League. Prior to depicting Brown, Hodge played MC Ren in 'Straight Outta Compton'. He was also recognized for his supporting role in 'The Invisible Man'. Other credits include 'Hidden Figures', 'Clemency', and 'City on a Hill'
Creator:
The film will be directed by Regina King. She has already proved herself as a director, directing episodes of shows like 'Scandal', 'The Good Doctor', 'Pitch' and 'Insecure'. King has also directed the 2013 BET television film, 'Let The Church Say Amen'. As an actress, Regina King has won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and three Primetime Emmys. The film's producers are Keith Calder and Jess Wu Calder for Snoot and Jody Klein for ABKCO.
Trailer:
The trailer shows four legends meeting in a hotel room after Cassius Clay's big win in the ring. All of them are excited but as they talk, their concerns about how they can be "safe to be ourselves" start surfacing as they talk about the "fight of their lives" ahead.
If you like this, you'll love:
'12 Years a Slave', 'Ali', 'Malcolm X', 'Jim Brown: All American' and 'BlacKkKlansman'.