One Night in Miami release date – line-up, story, trailer, latest news
Everything you need to know about the film featuring Cassius Clay, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown
The 1960s were a hippie love-in for some, a watershed time of profound change and conflict for others, like the civil rights movement in the US. One Night in Miami captures a moment in time when four legendary figures from the black community met and spent a night of awakening about the racial crisis occurring in their country.
The action in the feature-length drama takes place the night the princely Cassius Clay (before he became Muhammad Ali) shocked the world by defeating thuggish heavyweight world champion Sonny Liston in a title bout in the sweltering Florida city.
On one incredible night in 1964, after Clay shocked the world by derailing Mob-linked Liston's career the young Louisville slugger memorialised the event with three of his friends: Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge).
Based on the award-winning play of the same name, and directed by Regina King, One Night In Miami... is a fictional account inspired by the historic night that these four legendary cultural figures spent together.
It 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. Their conversations about racial injustice, religion, and personal responsibility still resonate more than 50 years later.
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What is One Night in Miami about?
Inspired by true events, the quartet of historical characters celebrate Ali’s latest boxing victory as the heavyweight champion of the world and discuss the civil rights movement led by Malcolm X at the time. The four men represent the cornerstones of African-American culture: Jim Brown was an American football hero for the Cleveland Browns; Malcolm X was an inspiring black activist and spokesman for the Nation of Islam; Sam Cooke was one of the great soul singers of the '50s and '60s; and Clay was about to become one of the greatest figures of the 20th Century.
It is based on the award-winning stage-play of the same title by Kemp Powers, which premiered in 2013, and featured the four heroes whose ideas, plans and actions play out in the hotel room watched over by Nation Of Islam security.
Who is in the cast?
Getting the cast right is crucial for a drama starring these icons of culture. The actors are:
- Kingsley Ben-Adir: the English star of Peaky Blinders plays Malcom X
- Eli Goree: the Canadian actor was Mad Dog in Riverdale and plays Cassius Clay
- Aldis Hodge: the US actor starred in Leverage and plays Jim Brown
- Leslie Odom Jr: the US actor starred in the original musical Hamilton and plays Sam Cooke
When is One Night in Miami released?
One Night in Miami will be on release in selected cinemas on 25th December 2020 and will stream on Amazon Prime Video from 15th January 2021.
Who is Regina King?
Regina King is the director of One Night in Miami and is already the focus of Oscar buzz for her work on the drama. King is already an Oscar-winning actress – she won Best Supporting Actress in 2019 for If Beale Street Could Talk and his starred in movies such as Jerry Maguire, Ray and HBO's Watchmen series. She was also named in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People list in 2019.
As a director, she learned her craft directing episodes of TV series including the US version of Shameless. One Night in Miami is her feature-film directing debut.
The 49-year-old is a Los Angelean.
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