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New Miami Vice reboot builds an 80s crime epic with hot casting
Universal Pictures is assembling a high-profile new take on Miami Vice, and early casting reports have already set the internet buzzing. Sources say Michael B. Jordan is in early talks to play Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs, while Austin Butler is reportedly negotiating to take on James "Sonny" Crockett. If both deals close, the studio will have two of Hollywood's most bankable actors leading a stylized, contemporary reinvention of the classic 1980s cop drama.
The project reunites some significant creative talent behind the camera as well. Joseph Kosinski — known for his sleek visual work on films like Tron: Legacy, Oblivion and the blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick — is attached to direct. Producers include Dylan Clark and Kosinski himself, while the screenplay is credited to Eric Warren Singer and Dan Gilroy, shaped around the characters created by Anthony Yerkovich.
What to expect: Style, grit and 80s neon
The new movie reportedly draws inspiration specifically from the pilot and first season of the original TV series, aiming to recapture mid-80s Miami's flashy glamour and its undercurrent of corruption. That combination of neon pastel aesthetics and criminal intrigue is a defining visual and thematic hallmark; think speedboats, sun-drenched stakes, and morally ambiguous undercover work. Kosinski's reputation for kinetic, high-contrast visuals suggests this reboot will favor a modern, cinematic sheen rather than a faithful period-piece nostalgia trip.
How this compares to earlier versions
The original Miami Vice TV show (created by Anthony Yerkovich) made Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas cultural icons, known for pastel suits and a love of fast boats. Michael Mann's 2006 film adaptation — starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx — took a grittier, realist approach and grossed roughly $163.7 million worldwide. The new version appears poised to sit somewhere between those poles: honoring the show's glamorous DNA while leaning into contemporary crime-thriller sensibilities.
Fans and critics are divided on reboot fatigue, but casting Jordan and Butler signals ambition. Both actors bring different strengths: Jordan's magnetic intensity and Butler's brooding charisma could recreate the Crockett–Tubbs dynamic for a new generation.
Trivia: The classic show's pastel palette became so iconic that it continues to influence fashion and pop culture references to 1980s Miami to this day.
Universal currently schedules the film for an August 6, 2027 theatrical release, with principal photography expected to begin next year. Expect more casting and production details to arrive as negotiations finalize.
Overall, this Miami Vice reboot could be one of the more interesting crime-thriller experiments of the decade — a glossy, modern take on a story about friendship, undercover danger, and the seductive rot beneath coastal glamour.
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