t’s an incredible honor and I bring tons of respect to it,” he told Deadline in an exclusive interview with Jordan and Amazon’s Salke. “It’s a healthy weight to carry, to be able to tell the story of Muhammad Ali. It’s called The Greatest right now and we’re partnered with Roc Nation on the music side of things. It’s a project where we’ve partnered with the estate and we’ll be able to tell this story with no red tape. It’s a limited series that will really dive into the life of Muhammad Ali. I’m not going to be too specific beyond that, but we’ll be able to get to know him in ways we haven’t had a chance to before. I’m really excited about it, as a boxing enthusiast and since this is the world I’ve been living in the past five or six years with the Creed franchise. To be able to honor Muhammad Ali and elaborate on his legacy is something I’m really excited about, and I know Jen and Amazon are as well.”
There have been numerous films about the life of The Champ, including the Michael Mann-directed 2001 Will Smith-starrer Ali, and most recently with Ali (played by Eli Goree) part of the quartet in the Regina King-directed Oscar-season film One Night In Miami. Ali’s life and his emergence not only in the ring but as a Civil Rights activist lends a broad tapestry to the storytelling. “This is character driven and compelling,” Jordan said. “People know Muhammad Ali from his boxing days, but this is an opportunity to go beyond the ring, and more into the man. It’s going to give more of a 360 degree view of who he was. And no, I’m not playing that guy, I can say that for sure, and we are still in early stages here and can’t say too much. We are still putting the pieces together, but it feels like something to look forward to in the future.”
