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That's the premise of the film "One Night in
Miami," out on Amazon Prime on Friday, which recounts a 1964
meeting between boxer Cassius Clay, soul singer Sam Cooke, civil
rights activist Malcolm X and football player Jim Brown.
The meeting really took place, says screenwriter Kemp Powers,
who came across a throwaway mention of it years ago and became
obsessed with finding out more.
"The characterizations and the conversations are fictional, but
the situation is true," Powers said. "Everything about this
fiction is powered by fact."
The four men met after Clay, then 22 years old, unexpectedly
defeated heavyweight rival Sonny Liston in February 1964 in a
fight in Miami Beach, Florida. Their imagined conversation
ranges from the struggle of being Black in the United States in
the 1960s to personal responsibility and career challenges.
Clay, who later would change his name to Muhammad Ali, "did go
back to Malcolm's room with Sam and Jim. They spent the night in
conversation. And the next morning is when he announced to the
press that he was in the Nation of Islam," said Powers.
The movie, which is expected to be a strong awards contender
this year, marks the feature film directorial debut of actor
Regina King, an Oscar winner for "If Beale Street Could Talk."
King said she had not previously seen "four Black men realized
this way on screen ... the way that I see them in my life. And
that was just so exciting to me," she said.
"I felt like while I couldn't play one of these roles for
obvious reasons, I sure would love to be captain of the ship,"
King added.
Clay is played by Canadian Eli Goree, who trained extensively to
capture the boxer's signature dance like movements. "Hamilton"
star Leslie Odom Jr. takes on the silky voiced hit maker Cooke.
Aldis Hodge plays dynamic running back Jim Brown and Kinsgley
Ben-Adir portrays firebrand political activist Malcom X.
Powers says the conversation between the four men cover issues
on race that are just as pertinent today as they were in the
1960s.
"It's unfortunate that it reflects today but it was not written
with that intention. It is just coincidental," he said.
(Reporting by Reuters Television. Writing by Jill Serjeant;
Editing by David Gregorio)
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