What happened to Gordon 'Chicken Man' Williams? The life and 'death' of Kevin Hart's character in 'Fight Night'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Gordon Williams aka Chicken Man was the primary suspect when the Atlanta Police and the underworld were in a race to nab the perpetrators of the million dollar heist at an after-party on the night of Muhammad Ali's comeback fight in 1970. Three decades later, when Jeff Keating, a young and struggling screenwriter learned about the infamous heist, he found out through old clippings that Williams was killed days after the robbery only to later discover that he was alive, as per a report by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Actor-comedian Kevin Hart plays Chicken Man in 'Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist', Peacock's upcoming crime series based on Jeff Keating's podcast that was released in 2020. The eight episodes will give us a glimpse of the local hustler's life who organized the Vegas-style party in Atlanta, inviting celebrities and gangsters to enjoy a night of women, alcohol, and gambling. However, a group of gunmen arrived at the venue and robbed the rich and powerful men of their cash, jewelry, and dignity by making them strip down to their underwear.
Was Gordon Williams the mastermind of the 1970 heist?
Gordon Williams was indeed the primary suspect as he was the one who hosted the party. Even the bloodthirsty and vengeful Frank Moten, aka the 'Black Godfather' went after him. However, it is believed that Williams was able to convince him of his innocence. Yet, the news reports claimed that he had died days after the robbery, hinting that someone who had been robbed must have ordered a contract killing.
As per Jeff Keating's 2020 podcast, Richard Wheeler, another known personality from the underworld, was the real mastermind behind the robbery. It is alleged that he and Frank Moten didn't get along. Wheeler may have asked his right-hand man to do the robbery, as per a Yahoo report.
Gordon Williams was found alive three decades after the heist
32 years after the heist, Detective JD Hudson, who investigated the case, told Jeff Keating that Gordon Williams was alive and had become a pastor. Keating interviewed both men in the early 2000s hoping to create a documentary and a scripted movie. Williams took a path of spirituality upon realizing that he needed to change. He stopped consuming or dealing drugs when in 1978 he was held responsible for losing "a large amount of marijuana" after a drug deal. "I had to pay off a lot of people," he said, as per Blake Guthrie's blog for Creative Loafing, Atlanta's major newsweekly in 2004.
However, it remains unknown if he was actually involved in the robbery or was innocent, as he claimed to be. "I survived because I wasn't involved," Williams said.
It also brings forth the question of whether he faked his own death or whether the news reports were an outcome of a big misunderstanding. Maintaining his innocence, he said, "I don't know where they got that one. They've been saying I've been dead for years, but I've been right here in Atlanta the whole time,” reads his quote from Blake Guthrie's blog.
How to stream 'Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist'?
'Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist' features Kevin Hart as Gordon Williams, Don Cheadle as Detective JD Hudson, and Samuel L Jackson as Frank Moten. It is an eight-part limited series, scheduled to release on Peacock on Thursday, September 5.
All the episodes will be dropped simultaneously, allowing viewers to binge-watch the gripping crime drama. Membership to Peacock comes at a minimum price of $7.99 a month excluding tax.
'Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist' trailer