Who’s boarding Michael B. Jordan’s Miami Vice? The most underrated Star Wars actor

Universal’s big swing at reviving Miami Vice is starting to look like one of next year’s proper tentpole moments. First, they roped in Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler for the iconic Crockett and Tubbs—Jordan fresh off his Oscar win for Sinners earlier this year, Butler continuing his streak as Hollywood’s most adaptable leading man since Elvis. If you’re Universal, you can almost see the event poster before the cameras even roll. And now, the latest bit of casting might be the most fascinating turn yet.

Miami Vice '85 lands in cinemas in 2028, marking a major studio push for a retro franchise revival.

Alden Ehrenreich is joining the cast. For some, he’ll always be ‘that bloke who played Han Solo in the Star Wars one that underperformed’, but if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll have noticed he’s been doing consistently good work since. Ehrenreich’s been busy picking up respect off the back of Oppenheimer, Fair Play, and a turn in last summer’s Weapons. The joke for ages was that everyone blamed him for the Solo flop, but, to be fair, he was the least of that film’s issues.

So, Who’s Ehrenreich Playing?

At this stage, they’re keeping his exact role under lock and key. That leaves us guessing: he could show up as another vice cop, some federal suit, or—even better—a particularly stylish Miami baddie in the vein of ‘80s TV villains. Given how superbly he made his charm feel properly sinister in Fair Play, I won’t be shocked if he’s the antagonist this time round. No leaks yet—Dan Gilroy's script is apparently tighter than a drum.

The ‘85 Angle and What to Expect

The film is hanging itself on the original show’s 1984 pilot—the episode that properly launched Crockett and Tubbs into the Miami drug wars. Here’s the clever bit: the title ‘Miami Vice ’85’ signals a total lean-in to the pastel, neon, humid-vibes of the original era. That’s already a better idea if you ask me than Michael Mann’s 2006 version, which dragged it into the 21st century and lost most of what made the show stand out in the first place.

This time, director Joseph Kosinski (fresh off two billion-dollar runs with Top Gun: Maverick and F1) is apparently letting the mid-80s energy take the wheel—IMAX cameras, period costumes, the works. With Dan Gilroy—the bloke behind Nightcrawler and some top-notch writing on Star Wars: Andor—on script duties, there’s decent hope it’ll avoid ending up overly slick or soulless.

• Miami Vice ‘85 drops in 2028
• Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler headline as Crockett and Tubbs
• Alden Ehrenreich's role: still a mystery, but let the internet wild-speculate
• Period vibes are front and centre this time, not another post-2000s reboot
• Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick, F1) directs; Gilroy (Nightcrawler, Andor) writes

Filming’s set to kick off later this year, with Universal putting its full weight behind making Miami Vice cool again—for at least one more era.