My fandom has been activated by this new Miami Vice movie that’s being made. If you’re a regular visitor to the site, you’ll know that I’m JoBlo’s resident Miami Vice superfan. I was really excited when I found out that Miami Vice was being rebooted by Universal as a big-budget movie starring Austin Butler and Michael B. Jordan, with the period setting being retained. That’s a big plus to me. I’ve also been keeping an eye on all the leaked photos from the set, and I’m reasonably confident I know pretty much what we can expect from the new film, which is called Miami Vice ’85.
What is Miami Vice ’85 about?
Like the TV show, it’s about the adventures of Miami Vice undercover cops Sonny Crockett (Austin Butler – playing the role made famous by Don Johnson) and Rico Tubbs (Michael B. Jordan – in the role played by Philip Michael Thomas) as they battle bad guys on Miami’s Gold Coast by posing as drug dealers and criminals, wearing high-end clothes and driving luxury vehicles they’ve confiscated from bad guys to further the illusion.
But the film seems to be a direct adaptation of the pilot episode, “Brother’s Keeper.” The photos from the set suggest this, with it looking like whole scenes are being recreated, while Butler and Jordan wear clothes that have been lovingly recreated from the original episode.
With that in mind, here is the basic premise of the movie, which I suppose could contain spoilers if you haven’t seen the original series. This is all speculation on my part.
Rico Tubbs (Jordan), a tough cop from New York City, comes to Miami posing as an undercover officer on the trail of drug lord Esteban Calderone. He winds up crossing paths with undercover cop Sonny Crockett, who poses as a drug dealer named Sonny Burnett. Initially at odds, the two eventually team up to take down Calderone, but then Crockett realizes Tubbs has been lying about being on assignment. While a cop from NYC, he’s on a rogue mission, intending to murder Calderone because the dealer ordered the death of his older brother, who was an undercover cop, hence the title “Brother’s Keeper.”
In the show, what happens is that Crockett continues working with Tubbs, and when they catch Calderone, he convinces him not to murder the drug lord and to let justice take its course. Of course, Calderone ends up making bail and leaves Miami. At this point, Crockett convinces Tubbs to transfer to Miami, after which they become partners and, as the show goes on, best friends.
Will Miami Vice ’85 also adapt Calderone’s Return?
I would imagine a big-budget Miami Vice movie isn’t going to end with Calderone getting away. My thought is that they will combine elements of the pilot with a later two-parter, “Calderone’s Return,” where Crockett and Tubbs follow the dealer to St. Andrews Island in the Bahamas, where they kill him in a violent shootout.
There’s a lot of intrigue in this episode, with their boss, Lou Rodriguez, killed by a deadly assassin, while Tubbs falls in love with Calderone’s daughter, Angelina.
Who is in the Miami Vice ’85 cast?
Besides Crockett and Tubbs, the other two officially confirmed castings are John Leguizamo as Calderone and Michael Irby as Lou Rodriguez.
Leguizamo’s casting is ingenious because he actually made his TV debut on the original Miami Vice as the son of the character he’s playing, Orlando Calderone, who was a recurring villain in seasons two and three.
In the original series, Calderone was played by Miguel Piñero, the famous playwright (whom Benjamin Bratt played in a biopic). He also worked as a writer on the show, penning one of the best episodes, “Smuggler’s Blues.”
It’s a meaty role for Leguizamo, who earned some of the best reviews of his career for his role in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. Calderone is a cold-blooded bad guy but does have some sympathetic qualities, namely his love for his daughter Angelina.
Who could Camila Morrone, Walton Goggins and the other cast members be playing?
Who the other cast members are playing is pure speculation. I think Camila Morrone is likely playing Vice cop Gina Calabrese, who is an on-and-off love interest for Crockett throughout the series. Whitney Peak could be playing her partner, Trudy, although she could also be playing Calderone’s daughter, Angelina (as could Morrone).
Alden Ehrenreich is either playing Vice cop Stan Switek, who is the show’s quasi-comic relief, or potentially Crockett’s former partner, Scott Wheeler, a DEA agent revealed to be on Calderone’s payroll.
Walton Goggins, based on set pics, seems to be playing Calderone’s main assassin, Armstrong, who menaces Crockett’s family in “Calderone’s Return” and memorably executes a victim using the “Mozambique drill” (two shots in the chest, one in the head in rapid succession).
I’m also pretty confident Haley Lu Richardson is playing Crockett’s estranged wife, Caroline.
Who is composing the Miami Vice ’85 soundtrack?
To me, this is one of the most important aspects, as the show was famous for Jan Hammer’s synth score. It’s probably too early to know, although Kosinski has often worked with interesting collaborators as far as music goes, with M83 scoring Oblivion, Daft Punk doing Tron: Legacy, and Hans Zimmer scoring both Top Gun: Maverick and F1.
The movie will also likely have a ton of needle drops, just like on the show, and I’d be shocked if they didn’t play Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight.”
When does Miami Vice ’85 come out?
Sadly, we have to wait a while to see it, with Miami Vice ’85 set for a May 19, 2028, release date.
Are you excited for Miami Vice ’85? Let us know in the comments.
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