Amazon Studios has set a Christmas release date for Regina King’s One Night in Miami.
It will drop in theaters on Dec. 25, followed by an Amazon Prime Video launch on Jan. 15, 2021. The film has received universal acclaim after its premieres at the Venice Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival. King and her actors have early Oscar buzz.
It gives a fictional account of a real-life night featuring a pre-Muhammad Ali Cassius Clay (Eli Goree), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben Adir) and Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr).
“To complete and release a film within the same year is a difficult task,” said King in a statement. “We welcomed the challenge because we knew now was the time for this film to be released. Amazon fully supported our intention and I could not be more excited this prescient story will be seen across the globe.”
The official description: Set on the night of February 25, 1964, the story follows a young Cassius Clay (before he became Muhammad Ali) as he emerges from the Miami Beach Convention Center the new World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. Against all odds, he defeated Sonny Liston and shocked the sports world. While crowds of people swarm Miami Beach to celebrate the match, Clay – unable to stay on the island because of Jim Crow-era segregation laws – instead spends the night at the Hampton House Motel in one of Miami’s historically black neighborhoods celebrating with three of his closest friends: activist Malcolm X, singer Sam Cooke and football star Jim Brown. The next morning, the four men emerge determined to define a new world for themselves and their people. In One Night in Miami…, Powers explores what happened during these pivotal hours through the dynamic relationship between the four men and the way their friendship, paired with their shared struggles, fueled their path to becoming the civil rights icons they are today.
Our TIFF review of the film reads: “The film is an ambitious task in itself because it chronicles Black historical figures. Adapting this body of work for the big screen, considering the fact that it mostly takes place within the confines of a single room, was a challenge as well. Still, King takes everything head-on, with excellent results.”
The film also features an original song “Speak Now” written by Leslie Odom Jr. and Sam Ashford, and performed by former. An official One Night in Miami original soundtrack album in conjunction with the film.
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Photo: Amazon Studios
