Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation are set to collaborate on a limited TV series with Amazon Studios about the life of famed boxer Muhammad Ali.
Jordan’s career took a dramatic upward shift through his lead role in the Creed franchise as Adonis Johnson. According to Forbes, the experience through the two films makes him a great fit for the lead role, but due to his close association with the main protagonist in the boxing movies, he has elected to find another star.
Ali’s estate will also be involved in the production as it will reportedly closely retell key moments of Ali’s life.
Speaking to the media, Jordan said on the series:
It’s a healthy weight to carry, to be able to tell the story of Muhammad Ali. It’s called The Greatest right now and we’re partnered with Roc Nation on the music side of things. It’s a project where we’ve partnered with the estate and we’ll be able to tell this story with no red tape. It’s a limited series that will really dive into the life of Muhammad Ali. I’m not going to be too specific beyond that, but we’ll be able to get to know him in ways we haven’t had a chance to before.
The project follows a line of dramatic interpretations of the civil rights activist including Will Smith, starring Ali in 2001 directed by Michael Mann.
There are some other projects in the pipeline between Jordan and Amazon arriving soon too, including Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse, which sees Jordan star as former Navy SEAL John Clarke from the Jack Ryan universe. The film is scheduled to release on April 30.
Muhammad Ali was an American professional boxer, activist, entertainer, and philanthropist. Nicknamed The Greatest, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated figures of the 20th century and as one of the greatest boxers of all time.
