The first-ever authorised series “The Greatest,” about the life of boxing legend Muhammad Ali has been ordered at Amazon Prime Video.
Actor Jaalen Best will portray the role of Ali in the series while Ben Watkins will serve as showrunner, Deadline reported on Thursday.
“To be trusted with the honour of telling the story of my most cherished hero, Muhammad Ali, is humbling and scary, and a dream come true,” said Watkins. “I am filled with an overwhelming sense of pride, responsibility and most of all, gratitude.”
The official description of ‘The Greatest’ reads, “The amazing victories and defeats that made Ali a legend, both in and out of the ring, have been well documented and while those landmark events will live in ‘The Greatest,’ the heartbeat of the story is fueled by all the moments that took place outside of the spotlight. The world remembers an icon, but ‘The Greatest’ is about a man, a husband, a father, a brother and a son.”
Produced in collaboration with Muhammad Ali’s estate, his widow Lonnie Ali will serve as executive producer of the show.
Jaalen Best, who will play the boxing legend in the Amazon Prime Video series, is known for his role as Ryan Craig in Season 2 of “All American: Homecoming,” while he has also appeared in episodes of “Magnum P.I.” and “American Horror Stories.”
Lonnie Ali, the boxing legend’s widow said, “I’m thrilled to be producing ‘The Greatest’ alongside Ben Watkins who captured the essence and nuance of Muhammad. With Jaalen Best, we have uncovered a soulful gem. He is such a talented young man who not only embodies Muhammad, but exudes his resilience, courage, charisma and confidence.”
It is pertinent to mention that Ali has been played on screen by himself in 1977’s ‘The Greatest’, Will Smith in the 2001 feature biopic “Ali”, Terrence Howard in the 2000 ABC movie “King of the World” and David Ramsey in the 2000 Fox movie “Ali: An American Hero.”
