A new film, One Night in Miami, asks the question: What happens when Cassius Clay, Malcolm X, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke find themselves in the same room? The movie which marks Oscar-winning actress Regina King’s feature directorial debut, will premiere on Amazon Prime on Friday, January 15, 2021. (An official watch party is being held on Twitter, hosted by King. A Q-and-A begins at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT. The film begins at 8:30 p.m. ET/ 5:30 PT. Viewers are encouraged to use #OneNightInMiami to ask her questions.) Watch the trailer below.
The film has received a 98% positive rating on RottenTomatoes.com.
From the announcement: Set on the night of February 25, 1964, the story follows a young Cassius Clay (before he became Muhammad Ali) as he emerges from the Miami Beach Convention Center the new World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. Against all odds, he defeated Sonny Liston and shocked the sports world. While crowds of people swarm Miami Beach to celebrate the match, Clay – unable to stay on the island because of Jim Crow-era segregation laws – instead spends the night at the Hampton House Motel in one of Miami’s historically black neighborhoods celebrating with three of his closest friends: activist Malcolm X, singer Sam Cooke and football star Jim Brown. The next morning, the four men emerge determined to define a new world for themselves and their people.
One Night In Miami with Kingsley Ben-Adir (Malcolm X), Eli Goree (Cassius Clay), Aldis Hodge (Jim Brown), Leslie Odom Jr (Sam Cooke)
One Night in Miami was written by Olivier-nominated Kemp Powers, based off his 2013 stage play. Powers explores what happened during these pivotal hours through the dynamic relationship between the four men and the way their friendship, paired with their shared struggles, fueled their path to becoming the civil rights icons they are today.
The film stars British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir as Malcolm X, Eli Goree as Clay, Aldis Hodge as Brown, and Hamilton‘s Leslie Odom Jr. as Cooke. King has earned four Primetime Emmy Awards and received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the 2018 film, If Beale Street Could Talk.
“One Night in Miami beautifully captures a significant moment in history when these great minds gathered and ultimately helped shape the conversation of what we know today as the civil rights movement,” said Head of Amazon Studios’ Jennifer Salke. “Regina King is a force of nature – mastering her craft in front of the camera as we’ve seen in her extensive body of work, and now taking her talent behind the camera.”
ABKCO released the official One Night in Miami original soundtrack album on Jan. 15, 2021, in conjunction with the film.
Watch the lyric video for Leslie Odom Jr.’s “Speak Now” from the soundtrack
Related: Muhammad Ali – Greatest Showman of a Generation
1 Comment so far
Jump into a conversationI’ll be the white dude in the room who points out that The Beatles were in Miami around that time. They had a memorable photo op with the future champ (that neither the Beatles nor Ali really wanted to do) that has since become iconic. https://www.biography.com/news/the-beatles-muhammad-ali-photos-miami-1964