Peacock is host to a wealth of hit TV shows, both classic and new (with Love Island USA recently tying up its sixth season), and NBCUniversal’s streaming service is also beefing up their original film slate. This includes another dive into the true crime realm with Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist.
Kevin Hart executive produces and stars in this movie created by showrunner and writer Shaye Ogbonna (The Chi), and further executive producers include Will Packer, Sabrina Wind, Jason Horwitch, and Hartbeat. What can we expect from the star-studded film?
Plot
This heist movie is based upon the iHeartRadio Fight Night podcast, which details the fateful night of October 26, 1970. That date, of course, refers to Muhammad Ali’s return to boxing in Atlanta, where a historical heist was pulled off on the same evening by “Chicken Man.” Portrayed by Kevin Hart, this hustler invited enormously wealthy boxing fans to a post-fight party where each of them was held at gunpoint. By the end of the evening, the titular million-dollar heist went down, and this shockingly brazen crime spree became the subject of an investigation led by detective J.D. Hudson, who had also helped Ali enter the boxing ring. (It was a busy weekend for Hudson.)
The investigation carried on for years, ending only “when everybody was dead,” according to Hudson, who was one of Atlanta’s first Black detectives that navigated the city’s desegregated police department. The Peacock film will explore the story in light of Ali’s historic fight that led to Atlanta earning the “Black Mecca” title, and here’s more from the Peacock synopsis:
When a hustler named Chicken Man (Kevin Hart) hosts an afterparty to celebrate the fight with a guest list of the country’s wealthiest, the night ends with the most brazen criminal underworld heist in Atlanta’s history. Suspected of masterminding the crime, Chicken Man is hellbent on clearing his name but must convince his old adversary, J.D. Hudson (Don Cheadle), one of the first Black detectives in the city’s desegregated police force, who is tasked with bringing those responsible to justice.
Peacock shared the following stills ahead of release:
Cast
The main cast includes Kevin Hart (as Chicken Man), Don Cheadle (as JD Hudson), Samuel L. Jackson (as Frank Moten), Taraji P. Henson (as Vivian Thomas), and Terrence Howard (Cadillac Richie). Guest stars include Dexter Darden (as Muhammad Ali), Chloe Bailey (Lena Mosley), Lori Harvey (Lola Falana), Marsha Stephanie Blake (Delores Hudson), and Sinqua Walls (McKinley Rogers).
Release Date
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist will stream on September 5 on Peacock.
Trailer
Peacock did the thing with this trailer:
