Gas up the go-fast boats, grab your pink blazers, and let’s go for some mojitos: A new Miami Vice feature film is coming in 2027. And baby, I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life.
On April 22, outlets like Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that a new film based on the ‘80s TV hit Miami Vice is set for release by Universal Studios on August 6, 2027. The project will star Oscar winner Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler, and will bear the title Miami Vice ‘85. Jordan will play Tubbs, originally played by Philip Michael Thomas, while Butler will costar as Sonny, Don Johnson’s role. Top Gun: Maverick’s Joseph Kosinski is on board to direct.
On October 12, Universal released the first looks for Miami Vice ‘85, with both Jordan and Butler immaculately dressed as Tubbs and Crockett for their respective character posters. You can see the images further below.
As of right now, plot details are still unknown. However, the title heavily implies a period piece set in the era of the original series, which was created by Michael Mann and ran for five seasons on NBC. That’s unlike the now-revered 2006 film (also directed by Mann) with Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell, which was set in contemporary Miami. Who could forget its opening with a Jay-Z/Linkin Park needledrop? (Apparently, Mann removed the song in a new director’s cut that premiered at Beyond Fest 2026 and will release later in December on home video.)
If Hollywood can only be remakes and reboots from here onward, we could do worse than Miami Vice. The new movie aims to channel both the look and feel of the original series with the intensity and aggression of the 2006 remake, which has enjoyed positive reevaluation in recent years. As it should. It is a banger of a picture: The dirty digital video cinematography, the manic camerawork, Colin Farrell and Gong Li exchanging glances before their ill-fated getaway to Cuba (set against purplish-gray storm clouds, because Mann is anything but subtle). There’s nothing else quite like it, which is a rare thing to say about a movie based on a TV show.
Can Miami Vice ‘85 top what Mann pulled off once before back in 2006? Maybe. The Esquire team is already a huge fan of how Jordan and Butler look in their roles. Perhaps that’s enough to instill faith that they just might pull this one off.
Between Jordan and Butler’s combined machismo and Kosinski once again directing a movie about men in crisis, Miami Vice ‘85 could be a classic in the making. But maybe it doesn’t have to do all that much to begin with. Just put the boys in a Ferrari, let the top down, and play some Phil Collins. We’ll be there opening weekend.