Posted by | Ray Cornelius
Oscar-winning actress Regina King will make her directorial debut with a film version of the play One Night In Miami.
The story chronicles the night R&B soul singer Sam Cooke got together with NFL icon and film legend Jim Brown, Civil Rights icon Malcolm X and rising boxer extraordinaire Cassius Clay aka Muhammad Ali.
Set on the night of February 25, 1964, the story follows a young Cassius Clay as he emerges from the Miami Beach Convention Center as the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. Against all odds, he’s defeated Sonny Liston and shocked the world of boxing. While crowds of people swarm Miami Beach’s hotspots to celebrate the match, Clay — unable to stay on the island because of Jim Crow-era segregation laws — spends the night at the Hampton House Motel in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood celebrating with three of his friends: activist Malcolm X, singer Sam Cooke and football star Jim Brown. The next morning, the men emerge determined to define a new world. In One Night in Miami, Powers aims to pinpoint exactly what happened during those pivotal hours. Featuring the music of Cooke, including his hit song, “A Change Is Gonna Come,” the film offers a piercing narrative for the evening, which challenges the four men, strips them bare and reveals them for who they were.
One Night In Miami will be produced by Snoot Entertainment’s Keith Calder and Jess Wu Calder.
I first heard about Cooke’s relationship with these icons during the Netflix documentary, The Two Killings of Sam Cooke, which aired earlier this year.
RC will keep you posted as this project continues to develop.
Photo Credits: TIME and IMJustSayin.com