After debuting to critical acclaim at the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals, Amazon Studios has set a release date for “One Night in Miami.”
The film, directed by Regina King, will open in select theaters on Dec. 25 before launching on Amazon Prime Video on Jan. 15, 2021.
“One Night in Miami” tells a fictional account of one incredible evening, in which Muhammad Ali (Eli Goree), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom, Jr.) and Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir) gather after Ali defeated Sonny Liston in February 1964. Kemp Powers wrote the script based off his 2013 stage play.
“To complete and release a film within the same year is a difficult task,” King said in a statement. “We welcomed the challenge because we knew now was the time for this film to be released. Amazon fully supported our intention and I could not be more excited this prescient story will be seen across the globe.”
Amazon sees the movie as a potential awards contender, and hopes it may result in King becoming the first Black woman nominated for best director. In addition, she could also be the first person to land an Oscar for acting (following her win for “If Beale Street Could Talk”) and then receive a nomination for directing. This is a feat that legends like Laurence Olivier, Barbra Streisand, Sean Penn and Denzel Washington couldn’t muster in their respective awards years.
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The awards team behind the film is still in discussions about where the four men will campaign. Among the ensemble cast, Ben-Adir might vie for lead actor as the other men campaign for supporting.
Odom could also make history. He plays Sam Cooke and has an original song, “Speak Now,” which is a strong contender for original song. If he can muster the double nomination, he would be just the second person, behind Mary J. Blige (“Mudbound”), to receive nods for acting and song in the same year. ABKCO will release the official “One Night in Miami” original soundtrack album in conjunction with the film.
Powers is also likely to be in the mix for adapted screenplay. He is also a writer on Pixar’s upcoming animated feature “Soul.” So if Powers manages nominations in both writing categories, he would be just the second person to achieve this feat in the same year following Francis Ford Coppola in 1974 for “The Conversation” and “The Godfather Part II.”
“One Night in Miami” is produced by Jess Wu Calder and Keith Calder of Snoot Entertainment (“Blindspotting”) and Jody Klein of ABKCO (“The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus”). Regina King and Kemp Powers serve as executive producers.
