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The squad down The Greatest is opening to uncover really it plans to battalion a punch pinch nan show, nan first authorized scripted bid astir nan life of Muhammad Ali.
“It’s a show that’s designed to show you each nan worldly that wasn’t successful documentaries and isn’t disposable successful position of watching aged fights and aged interviews,” said Ben Watkins, executive shaper and showrunner connected nan Prime Video project.
The bid was greenlit backmost successful 2024 and accumulation started successful Toronto earlier this year. It will commencement streaming later successful 2026. Watkins said: “We’ve sewage Season 1 successful nan can, and it is slated to driblet connected Prime Video successful nan 4th quarter.”
The first Season will span nan early years of Ali’s boxing career. “We filmed Season 1, which starts successful 1960 erstwhile he wins nan golden badge and ends successful 1964 erstwhile he wins nan heavyweight title for nan first time. In between, location is simply a coming-of-age story, and a very friendly coming of property story, that really shows a different broadside of Ali, who was past Cassius Clay.”
Ali’s widow, Lonnie Ali, is besides an executive shaper alongside Michael B. Jordan done his Outlier Society banner, which has an wide woody pinch Amazon MGM Studios.
Watkins is presently successful accumulation connected Season 3 of different Prime Video project, Cross, starring Aldis Hodge. He is showrunner and EP connected The Greatest via his Blue Monday Productions banner. He is astatine nan ongoing Monte-Carlo TV Festival and said astir some shows connected a sheet during nan event’s Business Forum.
Jaalen Best is portraying Ali successful nan show. Omari Hardwick and Dana Gourrier prima arsenic Cassius “Cash” Clay Sr. and his woman Odessa “Bird” Clay, respectively, parents of Muhammad Ali and Rudy Clay.
Kai Parham plays Ali’s relative and chap boxer Rudy. Amin Joseph will play Sonny Liston, Ali’s rival and nan heavyweight champion. In a recurring role, Michael Ealy plays Malcolm X.
