Kevin Hart stars as Chicken Man in 'Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist'. Picture: X.
Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars have come together to feature in “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist.”
The limited series is based on the iHeart true-crime podcast of the same name.
Set in 1970s Atlanta in the US, it centres around the events which took place after legendary boxer Muhammad Ali’s comeback fight against Jerry Quarry.
The star-studded cast includes Kevin Hart, Samuel L. Jackson, “Empire” stars Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard, and Don Cheadle.
They are joined by “Grownish” star Chloe Bailey, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Dexter Darden, Lori Harvey and Sinqua Walls.
According to “Variety”: “When a hustler named Chicken Man (Hart) hosts an after-party 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, JD Hudson (Cheadle), one of the first Black detectives in the city’s desegregated police force, who is tasked with bringing those responsible to justice.”
Meanwhile, Jackson stars as New York-based crime boss Frank Moten; Henson as Chicken Man’s business partner Vivian Thomas; Howard as rising crime boss Cadillac Richie and Chloe Bailey as an in-the-know waitress named Lena.
It is unclear when the series will be released in South Africa but it has already been gaining widespread traction online.
“Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” is helmed by American film-maker Craig Brewer, who previously directed “Hustle & Flow”. He also wrote “The Legend of Tarzan.”
Shaye Ogbonna serves as the show’s creator and showrunner alongside Jason Horwitch.
The pair have also executive produced “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” alongside Hart together with many others.
The show will also delve deeper into what happened on the night of the heist on October 26, 1970, when crowds flocked to Atlanta to watch one of the most celebrated boxing matches of all time.
Diana Ross was just one of the many elite guests in attendance as Ali made his epic comeback against Quarry.
It was a private after party hosted by “Chicken Man” during which the heist, which would go down in Atlanta’s history, occurred. AT the time, guests were met by a handful of armed masked men.
The robbers sent them into the basement and forced them to strip down to their underwear, taking off with no less than $1 million (about R17,9 million) in cash and valuables.
“The New York Times” reported that a Georgia grand jury indicted McKinley Rogers Jr and James Henry Hall on armed robbery charges in the 70s.
Watch the trailer here:
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