As the old adage goes, the truth is often far stranger than fiction. And Peacock's upcoming limited series Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, based on "some sh*t that really happened," is set to chronicle the seriously strange goings-on surrounding an audacious armed robbery on the night of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali's comeback fight against Jerry Quarry in Atlanta in October, 1970. The series, inspired by Jeff Keating and Jim Roberts' iHeart true-crime podcast, boasts an all-star line-up featuring Kevin Hart, Samuel L. Jackson, Don Cheadle, and Taraji P. Henson — and you can check out the slick first trailer for Fight Night below:
As we see in this propulsive first proper look at Fight Night, writer-creator Shaye Ogbonna (The Chi) is gearing up to deliver a real haymaker with this super-stylised new show. Featuring 'fros, flares, high-rollers and even higher stakes, this trailer — which opens with Dexter Darden's (The Maze Runner) Ali floating like a butterfly on his way to the ring to face Quarry, introduces us to Hart's charismatic rock-and-a-hard-place stuck hustler Chicken Man, and climaxes with Sam L. Jackson's "Black Godfather" Frank Moten looking set to go all Ezekiel 25:17 as all hell breaks loose in the Atlantan criminal underworld — really captures the insanity of that fateful October night and then some.
Here's the official synopsis: "The Million Dollar Heist, based on the acclaimed iHeart true-crime podcast, follows the infamous story of how an armed robbery on the night of Muhammad Ali’s historic 1970 comeback fight changed not only one man’s life but ultimately transformed Atlanta into the “Black Mecca.” When a hustler named Chicken Man (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 (Cheadle), one of the first Black detectives in the city’s desegregated police force, who is tasked with bringing those responsible to justice."
Also stepping into the ring for this one are Chloe Bailey (The Exorcism), Marsha Stephanie Blake (The Last Days Of Ptolemy Grey), Terrence Howard (Iron Man), Sinqua Walls (The 15:17 To Paris), and Lori Harvey. We'll find out whether Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist is a real knockout or has the televisual equivalent of a glass jaw when the show hits Peacock on 5 September. Let's get ready to rumble!