For Muhammad Ali’s life story to land on Prime Video as “The Greatest,” Michael B. Jordan often had to step in to make sure it got the due it deserved.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Ben Watkins, who created the scripted series that takes a look at four of the most pivotal years of Ali’s life in and outside the ring for Prime Video, reveals how Jordan personally wanted him for the show and why, whenever an obstacle came up, the 39-year-old Oscar winner was the first person ready to solve it.
“I was actually afraid to engage, because Muhammad Ali’s my lifelong hero and I didn’t want to mess it up,” Watkins said. “I was hesitating when they said, ‘We want you.’”
Watkins’ relationship with Jordan goes back years and whenever the series found itself at a crossroads, the Oscar winner threw his weight around a little bit to keep the project running as smoothly as possible.
“Every time that this show was on the ropes in terms of, ‘Are we gonna get a budget? Are we gonna get a green light?’ He showed up in person, out of nowhere, to push it and help us get it over the top,” Watkins said.
Jordan serves as an executive producer for the series, which stars newcomer Jaalen Best as the young adult version of Ali. “The Greatest” isn’t Jordan’s first foray into the world of boxing. In 2015, he starred in “Creed,” alongside Sylvester Stallone. The film, directed by Ryan Coogler, helped catapult Jordan to become one of Hollywod’s A-list stars and Stallone would earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The film would spawn two sequels, including “Creed III,” which Jordan directed.
Best called Jordan “incredible” for his tutelege.
The story of Muhammad Ali, widely considered one of the greatest athletes and humanitarians of the 20th century, has been told in various media, from books to documentaries to the 2001 film “Ali” starring Will Smith. The Prime Video series also stars Michael Ealy as Malcolm X, Omari Hardwick as Ali’s father, Cassius “Cash” Clay Sr., Dana Gourrier as Odessa “Bird” Clay, and Amin Joseph of “Snowfall” fame as Sonny Liston.
Ali’s widow, Lonnie Ali, also serves as an executive producer on the series.
“Being able to tell it without any red tape and dive into the family that actually helped nurture the man that we knew today as Muhammad Ali was really intriguing and very interesting for me,” Jordan told the Associated Press while on the red carpet last month. “Hopefully the audiences feel that and they learn something about the man and the family and this entire legacy — more than they thought they knew before.”
Source: theGrio
