One of the biggest surprises coming out of this year’s (pared down) festival season is Regina King’s period drama, “One Night in Miami.” Based on the play of the same name, King surprised festival-goers with a directorial debut that has people whispering, “Oscars.”
As seen in the trailer for the film, “One Night in Miami” is a period film that follows, uh, one night in Miami where Muhammad Ali invited Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown to his hotel room to hang out and discuss the world after the boxer defeated Sonny Liston. No, this night didn’t actually happen, but the fictional feature does use those men as a way to investigate the politics of the era and the struggles they faced.
READ MORE: Regina King’s ‘One Night In Miami’ Goes To Amazon Studios
As mentioned, Regina King makes her directorial debut with “One Night in Miami.” And since it’s debut at Venice (and subsequent screening at TIFF), King’s film has positioned itself right in the middle of the awards season conversation. The film stars Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr., Joaquina Kalukango, Nicolette Robinson, Beau Bridges, and Lance Reddick.
“One Night in Miami” is set to arrive in select theaters on December 25 before making its way to Amazon Prime Video on January 15. You can watch the new trailer below.
Here’s the synopsis:
On one incredible night in 1964, four icons of sports, music, and activism gathered to celebrate one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. When underdog Cassius Clay, soon to be called Muhammad Ali, (Eli Goree), defeats heavy weight champion Sonny Liston at the Miami Convention Hall, Clay memorialized 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 these four formidable 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. More than 40 years later, their conversations on racial injustice, religion, and personal responsibility still resonate.