The Greatest premieres on Prime Video on Wednesday 4 November, and The Greatest Muhammad Ali series is the first authorised scripted series about the boxing champion’s life. All eight episodes will premiere at once in more than 240 countries and territories, according to Amazon and Authentic Studios.
From Cassius Clay to heavyweight champion
Newcomer Jaalen Best stars as Cassius Clay / Muhammad Ali, tracing the fighter’s coming of age from winning Olympic gold in Rome in 1960 to beating Sonny Liston for the undisputed heavyweight title in 1964, according to a USA Today Network review syndicated by Yardbarker. The series opens with Ali walking through Rome toward the Colosseum, a framing device that immediately places sport inside history. Ben Watkins, creator of Cross, created the series and serves as showrunner and executive producer through Blue Monday Productions. Lonnie Ali, Ali’s widow, executive produces with unprecedented access to Ali’s estate, according to Amazon — the access that distinguishes The Greatest from unauthorised retellings. Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society is among the producers, with Shawn Carter (Jay-Z) also listed as an executive producer in the review coverage.
The man behind the persona, not just the fights
Amazon describes the series as ‘an intimate exploration of the incomparable life of the boxing champion, humanitarian, and global icon’, going beyond victories and defeats to explore personal relationships, professional challenges, political convictions and humanitarian work. Omari Hardwick plays Cassius Clay Sr., Dana Gourrier plays Odessa ‘Bird’ Clay, and Kai Parham plays Rudy Clay, according to Authentic Studios. Michael Ealy, Giovanni Ribisi and Amin Joseph are also in the ensemble. The cast and Ali family celebrated the series at a New York premiere on 27 October, according to Black Enterprise, with Jordan and Best attending alongside Lonnie Ali and Watkins. For viewers who know Ali only as a great fighter, the series is pitched as an introduction to the young man behind the image — an 18-year-old celebrity navigating a time when racism was publicly displayed without repercussion, as the review notes. For longtime fans, the test will be whether eight episodes can honour both the boxer and the citizen without flattening either.
