Miami Vice ’85 just added Whitney Peak — alongside Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler
Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler aren’t cruising solo in Joseph Kosinski’s Miami Vice ’85 — there’s a new co-star in the mix.
While most people are still catching their breath after the last round of D23 chaos, Joseph Kosinski has been quietly lining up talent for his big-screen take on a proper 80s classic: Miami Vice '85. The latest to join the cast? Whitney Peak, a Ugandan-Canadian actress who has been carving out quite a resume over the last few years.
You might recognise Peak from the Gossip Girl reboot, where she played Zoya Lott. She's also had roles in Hocus Pocus 2, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and is set to show up in the next Hunger Games prequel, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, due out 20 November 2026. So, safe to say her schedule is getting busy.
Miami Vice '85 is aiming for a 19 May 2028 release, with production starting this November between New York and Miami.
The New Detective Duo (and then some)
Michael B. Jordan is nailed on for Ricardo Tubbs, which gives you an idea of how slick Kosinski’s after. Austin Butler, meanwhile, is filling the pastel-tinted shoes of James "Sonny" Crockett. Alden Ehrenreich is also on board in an as-yet-unspecified role, and Peak is apparently playing Tubbs’ love interest. If you’re getting déjà vu, yes, the setup is nodding hard to the original series’ pilot episode—a deliberate tilt back to the untamed, cocaine-smothered glory days of mid-80s Miami.
Kosinski’s shooting in IMAX for maximum sun-bleached, synth-drenched effect. The script is in the hands of Dan Gilroy, working from Anthony Yerkovich’s original characters. For trivia hounds: Eric Warren Singer had an earlier go at the screenplay but Gilroy’s name is now the one attached. Universal are distributing and eyeing up that May '28 slot for release.
A Rumour with a Need for Speed
No one’s confirmed it, but the Tom Cruise rumour just refuses to go away. Supposedly, Cruise is on the wishlist to play the film’s villain—which would reunite him with Kosinski after Oblivion and Top Gun: Maverick. Could happen, could just be wishful thinking. Either way, it’s not officially happening as of now, so file that one under ‘maybe’.
Original Series: Flashy Suits, Synth, and 111 Episodes
The original Miami Vice aired for five seasons on NBC, from 1984 to 1989, tallying up a frankly impressive total of 111 episodes. Don Johnson was Sonny Crockett, Philip Michael Thomas was Ricardo Tubbs, and Edward James Olmos played Lieutenant Castillo. The show was more cinematic than anything else on telly at the time—think music video style, sharp suits, lots of moody shadow, and about twenty kilos of hair mousse per episode. The soundtrack is a time capsule of 80s pop hits, and for a while, you couldn’t turn a corner without seeing someone in sockless loafers and a linen jacket trying to channel their inner Crockett.