Casting and production details as of October 1, 2026
A Miami Vice movie with Michael B. Jordan, Austin Butler and Walton Goggins would be an easy sell on casting alone. Put Joseph Kosinski behind the camera, send Crockett and Tubbs back to the 1980s, and the project becomes a lot more interesting.
Goggins is the latest addition to Miami Vice ’85, Universal’s new take on the crime series that made Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas stars. Deadline broke the news, with the actor joining an ensemble that has been filling out ahead of a planned November shoot.
There is still a wait before the film reaches theaters on May 19, 2028, but its direction is becoming clearer: a return to the original show’s era, two new leads and a director whose recent movies have made a strong case for seeing them on the biggest screen available.
Walton Goggins Joins the Criminal Side of Miami Vice
Goggins will reportedly play a henchman working for John Leguizamo’s cartel kingpin. That character detail remains unconfirmed, according to JoBlo’s account of Deadline’s reporting, but it would put two particularly entertaining actors on the wrong side of Crockett and Tubbs.
Kosinski reportedly wanted Goggins from the start. Getting him aboard meant working around his schedule on Fallout, where his performance as the Ghoul has given him another memorable role after years of standout work in Justified and The Shield.
Anyone who has watched Goggins turn a friendly conversation into something deeply uncomfortable can see why this casting works. He rarely needs to raise his voice to make a scene feel dangerous. As his work in Fallout shows, he can also find the humor in a character without making that character any less threatening. That should serve him well here.
Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler Take Over as Tubbs and Crockett
Jordan plays Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs, while Butler steps into the role of James “Sonny” Crockett. Their casting was confirmed in April alongside the title Miami Vice ’85.
They inherit a partnership that has already worked in two very different forms. Johnson and Thomas defined the characters on television, while Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx brought their own chemistry to Michael Mann’s 2006 film. Jordan and Butler will have to find their version of that relationship, especially when the undercover work starts pulling the detectives in different directions.
They will have plenty of company. Alongside Goggins and Leguizamo, the cast includes Alden Ehrenreich, Whitney Peak, Camila Morrone, Danny Ramirez, Andrew Schulz and Edi Gathegi.
Gathegi’s casting arrived shortly before the Goggins news. The Hollywood Reporter reported his involvement, with subsequent coverage describing his character as a small-time criminal whose ambitions get him in over his head. It is a promising part for an actor who can make a supporting character feel like someone with an entire life beyond the scene.
Back to Miami in the 1980s
The title tells you where Kosinski wants to take this. Miami Vice ’85 draws inspiration from the original show’s pilot and first season, returning to a city where enormous wealth and drug-trade violence exist side by side. Crockett and Tubbs will once again be working undercover in that world, according to the premise outlined in earlier casting reports.
Going back to the ’80s gives the film access to everything people remember about the series: the clothes, the cars, the music and the waterfront luxury. The appeal of Miami Vice, though, was how easily all that beauty could become sinister. The expensive suit and perfect view often belonged to someone capable of terrible things.
That is fertile ground for screenwriter Dan Gilroy. His Nightcrawler found plenty of ugliness beneath the lights of Los Angeles, and the prospect of him writing about ambition and corruption in Miami is worth paying attention to. Gilroy wrote the screenplay following an earlier draft by Eric Warren Singer, using characters created by Anthony Yerkovich.
Joseph Kosinski Is Making It for IMAX
After Top Gun: Maverick and F1, Kosinski has become a particularly appealing choice for a movie involving fast vehicles and people making dangerous decisions. Both films showed his ability to make action easy to follow while still putting the audience close enough to feel the speed.
Our Top Gun: Maverick review praised the film’s combination of spectacle and emotional storytelling. F1 delivered a similarly immersive experience, particularly through its racing photography and sound. Bringing that approach to Miami Vice is an exciting prospect, and the new film is being made for IMAX.
Kosinski is also producing alongside Dylan Clark through Dylan Clark Productions. Production coverage accompanying Ehrenreich’s casting details the producing team and screenplay credits.
A Fresh Take After Michael Mann’s 2006 Film
Kosinski’s movie returns to the television source material rather than continuing the story of Mann’s film. The 2006 adaptation placed Farrell and Foxx in a contemporary criminal world, trading much of the show’s bright ’80s identity for a darker, more remote atmosphere.
That film has earned a devoted following, as The Guardian’s recent retrospective reflects. For those fans, another director taking on Miami Vice may be a tougher proposition than it is for viewers who primarily remember the television series. The period setting at least gives Kosinski a different starting point.
He has also spoken about his admiration for Mann. In a late-2025 interview covered by The Playlist, Kosinski said the two had talked and that he hoped to involve Mann in some capacity. A formal role for Mann has not been announced in the production reports cited here.
Filming Plans and the Miami Vice ’85 Release Date
The Hollywood Reporter’s September coverage put filming on track for November 2026, with New York and Miami serving as shooting locations. Universal has the film scheduled for May 19, 2028, following its move from an earlier August 2027 date.
The cast is already a strong draw, but the real test will be what happens when these actors share the screen. Jordan and Butler need a partnership worth following into trouble, and Goggins and Leguizamo look well suited to providing that trouble. Add Gilroy’s interest in compromised characters and Kosinski’s eye for action, and there is good reason to want to spend a couple of hours back in this particular version of Miami.
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