The forthcoming scripted series, “The Greatest,” which has received official authorization from the estate of the legendary Muhammad Ali, is set to offer a novel perspective on the life and career of the boxing icon.
Production commenced earlier this year, with the series slated to premiere on Prime Video in the final quarter of 2026, as confirmed by showrunner and executive producer Ben Watkins in an interview with Deadline. Watkins indicated that the series will delve into aspects of Ali’s life that have not been previously explored in documentaries or archival footage.
“This series is designed to showcase elements that were absent from documentaries and are not readily available through old fights and interviews,” Watkins stated to Deadline.
Further enhancing the authenticity and significance of “The Greatest,” the series is executive produced by Muhammad Ali’s widow, Lonnie Ali, and Academy Award winner Michael B. Jordan. The inaugural season will comprise eight episodes.
Muhammad Ali was famously known as “The Greatest,” a title he earned following his transition from Cassius Clay, the 1960 Olympic gold medalist, to a dominant heavyweight champion and, ultimately, the most celebrated boxer in history.
During Amazon’s Upfront event in New York City this past May, Lonnie Ali and Michael B. Jordan introduced Jaalen Best, the actor selected to portray Clay/Muhammad Ali during his formative years.
“From the outset, we knew that the actor portraying Ali had to embody Ali himself,” Lonnie Ali remarked while standing beside Jordan, as she introduced Best to the audience. “He must possess the courage, the conviction, and the heart. He also needs to have the likeness. It all has to be there. Muhammad was a handsome man.”
Season 1 Of ‘The Greatest’ Chronicles 1960 To 1964
Ben Watkins informed Deadline that the first season of “The Greatest” will focus on the early stages of Muhammad Ali’s professional journey.
“We filmed Season 1, which commences in 1960 with his Olympic gold medal victory and concludes in 1964 when he secured his first heavyweight title,” Watkins told Deadline. “In between these milestones, the narrative unfolds as an intimate coming-of-age story, revealing a different facet of Ali, who was then known as Cassius Clay.”
Michael B. Jordan, widely recognized for his role as Adonis Creed in the “Creed” film series, a collaboration with director Ryan Coogler, highlighted at the Amazon Upfront event the groundbreaking nature of this project for the boxer’s estate.
“Muhammad Ali was a figure who transcended the realm of sports. No athlete, celebrity, or public figure exerted an influence quite like Ali,” Jordan stated. “Until this point, no project had ever received official authorization from the Ali estate.”
Muhammad Ali passed away on June 3, 2016, at the age of 74, following a prolonged battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Lonnie Ali Expresses Confidence in Jaalen Best for the Role of Muhammad Ali
Jaalen Best, a relatively new face in acting, has previously appeared in a minor role in FX’s “American Horror Stories” (2022), a recurring part in three episodes of The CW’s sports drama “All American: Homecoming” (2023), and a guest appearance in CBS’s “Magnum P.I.” (2023).
Despite his limited prior screen time, Best emerged as a standout during the extensive nationwide search conducted by Lonnie Ali and Michael B. Jordan to find the ideal actor to embody the iconic boxer.
“We conducted a thorough search,” Lonnie Ali shared during the Amazon Upfront presentation. “And I assure you, his mother would be immensely proud of this young man.”
Following an embrace with Ali and Jordan after his introduction, Best conveyed his sentiments: “It is an absolute honor to be here and to be introduced by Michael B. Jordan, an individual I admire greatly, not only as an actor but as a person. And to have the privilege of standing alongside the esteemed Lonnie Ali… I must say, without her blessing for this role and her trust in me, I would not be standing on this stage today.”
Regarding his portrayal of Muhammad Ali, Best described the experience at the Amazon Upfront as “one of the most humbling, terrifying, exhilarating, and inspiring situations imaginable, all at once. I poured my entire being into this role, giving it everything I had, and I am proud of the person I have become as a result. This moment has irrevocably changed me, and I sincerely hope I have done justice to the legacy of one of the greatest—the greatest—of all time, Muhammad Ali.”
Muhammad Ali was previously portrayed by Will Smith in the 2001 film “Ali,” a performance that earned Smith his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. More recently, Ali was depicted as a supporting character by Dexter Darden in the 2024 Peacock limited series “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist.”
Business Style Takeaway: The upcoming authorized series on Muhammad Ali signifies a strategic move by Prime Video to leverage compelling biographical content. By focusing on previously untold aspects of Ali’s life and securing the estate’s full backing, the platform aims to capture a significant audience and underscore its commitment to high-quality, narrative-driven programming in the competitive streaming landscape.
Learn more at : www.forbes.com