Amazon MGM Studios has officially granted a series order to the upcoming Muhammad Ali biographical drama titled The Greatest. It chronicles the life of a legendary athlete who’s considered one of the world’s greatest boxers of all time. The project will be executive produced by Ali’s widow Lonnie Ali.
Who will lead The Greatest series?
All American: Homecoming star Jaalen Best has been tapped to portray Muhammad Ali on Prime Video’s The Greatest series. This marks Best’s first major TV project as the lead. It will be created and executive produced by Cross’ Ben Watkins, who’s also set as the showrunner.
“The amazing victories and defeats that made Ali a legend, both in and out of the ring, have been well documented, and while those landmark events will live in The Greatest,” reads the initial logline (via Variety). “The heartbeat of the story is fueled by all the moments that took place outside of the spotlight. The world remembers an icon, but ‘The Greatest’ is about a man, a husband, a father, a brother and a son.”
The series is produced by Amazon MGM Studios, Outlier Society, Watkins’ Blue Monday Productions, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, Universal Music Group’s Polygram Entertainment, and Authentic Studios. The latter currently owns the rights to Ali’s image. It will also be executive produced by Josh Wakely through his Grace: A Storytelling Company banner. Wakely was actually the one who acquired Ali’s life rights from his estate. Additional executive producers include Michael B. Jordan, Elizabeth Raposo, Corey Salter, Marc Rosen, Matthew Gross, Michele Anthony, Boyd Muir, and David Blackman.
