Crockett and Tubbs are back! Or rather, they will be back in 2028. Universal Pictures has just unveiled the first images from Miami Vice '85, the new film from Joseph Kosinski (Oblivion, Top Gun: Maverick, F1), with Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler playing Miami's two most famous cops. The former will take on Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs, while the latter slips into the suit of Sonny Crockett, made iconic by Don Johnson in the original 1980s series. And frankly, it has to be said: this pair look the part! With outfits perfectly in keeping with the era, the two actors already have us itching to see this fresh dive into 1980s Miami. And to direct our two heartthrobs, Universal Pictures has turned to a filmmaker very much on a roll right now: Joseph Kosinski. After making engines roar in Top Gun: Maverick and F1, he's taking on another cult franchise, this time with the ambition of reviving the singular atmosphere of Miami Vice. We're already sold.
Admit it, they're looking sharp
Taking over the roles of Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs is no small task, given how closely both characters remain tied to the actors who made them famous. Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas left their mark on a whole generation of viewers (us included), but casting Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler brings a new energy to the duo. The former, recently honoured for his performance in Sinners (Leo DiCaprio deserved it a thousand times more, let's be honest), has established himself as one of the essential figures in American cinema today. The latter, introduced to an even wider audience thanks to Elvis and seen more recently in Dune: Part Two, also has a screen presence that fits the world of Miami Vice nicely. And on top of that, the pair have pecs and abs that would floor anyone, blokes included.
The casting doesn't stop there, as the film will also bring together Alden Ehrenreich, Whitney Peak, Camila Morrone, Danny Ramirez, John Leguizamo (yes!), Walton Goggins (magnificent), Andrew Schulz (Street Fighter's Dan), Edi Gathegi, André Holland and Michael Irby. Haley Lu Richardson, known for her role in the second season of The White Lotus and the series Ponies, has also just joined the cast, though her character is being kept under wraps for now. As for the script, it has been entrusted to Dan Gilroy, the writer-director of Nightcrawler. The film will draw its inspiration from the pilot episode and the first season of the series created by Anthony Yerkovich, which aired between 1984 and 1989. The story will take us back to the mid-1980s, to a Miami where luxury rubs shoulders with corruption, with Crockett and Tubbs tasked with infiltrating the criminal networks of southern Florida. GTA 6, basically.
In cinemas in 2028
Miami Vice had already made it to the big screen in 2006, directed by Michael Mann with Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx in the cult roles. A darker reinterpretation that offered its own take on the world dreamt up by Anthony Yerkovich. Despite being a fine film, its moodier, less funky atmosphere wasn't to everyone's taste. With Miami Vice '85, Joseph Kosinski is going back to the series' roots and to the era that forged its identity. Setting the action in the mid-1980s means recovering all the aesthetics that contributed to its success, while the presence of two actors as popular as Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler should pull in a new audience — young and, in all likelihood, largely female. We can't wait to see how the director makes this world his own and blends his sense of spectacle with the retro charm of the original series.
Miami Vice '85 arrives in American cinemas on 19 May 2028.
