Miami Vice Heats Up: Michael B. Jordan In Early Talks To Play Ricardo Tubbs For Joseph Kosinski

Miami Vice might be sliding back onto the big screen, and Joseph Kosinski wants Michael B. Jordan riding shotgun. The short version: Jordan is in early talks to play Ricardo Tubbs, Kosinski is aiming to shoot in 2026, and Universal has already planted a 2027 release date. Pastels not required (yet).

Where it stands

This is not a done deal. Jordan is circling the role of Detective Ricardo Tubbs, and the conversations are described as early. That said, once Kosinski laid out a 2026 production window, Jordan reportedly seemed game and genuinely into it. Translation: promising, but still a negotiation.

Who is making it

Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick, F1: The Movie) is directing and producing, with Dylan Clark also producing. The script comes from Eric Warren Singer and Dan Gilroy, a combo that suggests slick, precise, and maybe a little dangerous.

What this version is aiming for

This take is set to lean into the shine and rot of mid-80s Miami, pulling directly from the original show’s pilot and first season as the blueprint. Expect the culture-shaping stuff people associate with Miami Vice — style, music, attitude — without pretending it is anything but a crime story drenched in neon.

Quick hits

• Michael B. Jordan is in early talks to play Ricardo Tubbs. Not official yet.
• Joseph Kosinski will direct, produce with Dylan Clark; script by Eric Warren Singer and Dan Gilroy.
• Kosinski plans to shoot in 2026 and roll IMAX cameras.
• Universal dated Miami Vice for August 6, 2027.
• Because of that date, the Untitled Universal Event Film that was on August 6, 2027 moves to Friday, September 24, 2027 and is now designated an Untitled DreamWorks Animation Event Film.

Context check

The original Miami Vice ran for 111 episodes from 1984 to 1989, with Don Johnson as Sonny Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo Tubbs. It made a generation of suits cooler than they had any right to be. Michael Mann rebooted it for the big screen in 2006 with Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx. That movie landed to mixed reviews and soft box office, but its reputation has quietly aged into cult-favorite territory — the exact kind of reappraisal that tends to fuel another swing.

The Michael B. Jordan of it all

Jordan just came off Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, and if this locks in, he would bring some sharp, contained intensity to Tubbs. That fits. The bigger question is who plays Crockett opposite him, because that pairing is the whole engine.

Temperature check

Kosinski doing Miami Vice after Top Gun: Maverick and F1 feels like a smart layup. The open variable is tone: will he go full-throttle blockbuster or keep it cool and surgical, closer to the original show’s vibe? Either way, Miami, the 80s, and IMAX is an easy sell on paper. Now let’s see who grabs the white blazer.