Universal has given audiences the clearest look yet at the next Miami Vice: Michael B. Jordan as Det. Rico Tubbs, bearded, stern and wearing a leather jacket, and Austin Butler as Det. James “Sonny” Crockett, aiming a gun in a grey suit.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick) and written by Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler), Miami Vice ’85 is now in production and will reach theaters on May 19, 2028. The supporting cast includes Alden Ehrenreich, Camila Morrone, Walton Goggins, John Leguizamo, Danny Ramirez, Andre Holland, Michael Irby and Whitney Peak.
Grey suit, not white linen
The first image is already sparking conversation because of a wardrobe decision. Butler’s Crockett is dressed in a grey suit rather than the white jacket Don Johnson made famous. It could simply be an early production choice, but fans treat styling as tone: the new film may borrow the original’s undercover energy without cosplaying every famous outfit.
The legacy it has to follow
The original NBC series ran five seasons with Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Miami detectives working undercover against drug kingpins. Michael Mann was a driving force behind its sleek visual style, and that influence eventually reached the game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Mann returned for the 2006 movie starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx, though that version landed as a commercial and critical disappointment. That leaves Miami Vice ’85 with a clear brief: respect the source, but make it work for a new audience.
- The original series: Five seasons that defined a moment of 1980s style on television.
- The 2006 film: A moody update with Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx that underperformed with critics and audiences.
- The cultural footprint: The show is cited as a key inspiration for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
What to watch before 2028
For movie lovers in India and the diaspora, this is part of a reliable wave of legacy reboots that lean on nostalgia but need a reason to exist. Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick is the strongest reason to stay interested: he knows how to update a familiar property with modern craft and old-school star power. Butler and Jordan give the pairing a different chemistry from Johnson and Thomas, and that is probably the point.
Before the first trailer arrives, the smart watchlist move is the original pilot and Mann’s 2006 film, back to back. The pilot shows the style that made the show a phenomenon. The 2006 film shows the risks of leaning too hard into mood. Both will make the eventual Miami Vice ’85 trailer easier to judge on its own terms.
Miami Vice ’85 opens in theaters May 19, 2028.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
