On Saturday, Prime Video released the first official teaser for its upcoming eight-episode-long limited series The Greatest, chronicling the formative years of boxing legend Muhammad Ali. The series is set to premiere in its entirety on November 04, Wednesday.
It is described as the first-ever authorised and scripted web series detailing Ali's career and life. Actor Jaalen Best takes on the titular role of the iconic heavyweight champion. Also part of the central cast are Omari Hardwick and Dana Gourrier, who play Ali’s father and mother, Cassius “Cash” Clay Sr and Odessa “Bird” Clay, respectively. The series also stars Kai Parham in the role of Ali's younger sibling, Rudy Clay. Meanwhile, Michael Ealy portrays legendary civil rights activist Malcolm X, whereas Amin Joseph portrays Ali's fierce competitor, Sonny Liston.
Prime Video debuted the The Greatest teaser at the Essence Festival of Culture held in New Orleans. It offers a first look at Best’s physical transformation for the role of Muhammad Ali and the early, defining moments in the sports icon's life.
The inaugural season of The Greatest chronicles a pivotal phase in Ali's career, opening with his Olympics gold medal win in 1960 and culminating in his historic 1964 victory over Liston. It is this victory that earned a young Cassius Clay the World Heavyweight Championship, shortly before he changed his name to Muhammad Ali.
The showrunner for The Greatest, Ben Watkins noted that it intends to explore the lesser-known chapters of the boxer's youth.
“It’s a show that’s designed to show you all the stuff that wasn’t in documentaries and isn’t available in terms of watching old fights and old interviews,” he said, characterising Season 1 as an intimate, coming-of-age narrative.
The production features Lonnie Ali, the boxing legend's widow, as an executive producer. Production companies on the project include Outlier Society of Michael B Jordan, Roc Nation, Blue Monday Productions, Authentic Studios, Grace: A Storytelling Company, and Polygram Entertainment.