Michael B. Jordan steps into Rico Tubbs’ role as ‘Miami Vice ’85’ begins production

Michael B. Jordan is officially wearing the badge as Ricardo ‘Rico’ Tubbs. Universal Pictures released the first character images from ‘Miami Vice ’85’ on October 12 and announced that production is underway, pairing Jordan with Austin Butler as James ‘Sonny’ Crockett. The film is currently scheduled to open exclusively in theaters on May 19, 2028.

Joseph Kosinski, whose recent work includes ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and ‘F1,’ is directing from a screenplay by Dan Gilroy. The studio’s description says the film draws from the original series’ pilot and first season and will explore the glamour and corruption of mid-1980s Miami. Claudio Miranda, Kosinski’s cinematographer on both ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and ‘F1,’ is also part of the creative team, giving the production a proven director-cinematographer partnership before any footage has been released.

The first-look posters establish the central pairing rather than revealing plot. Jordan’s Tubbs wears a dark suit and carries a gun, while Butler’s Crockett appears in a light jacket with the same direct-to-camera framing. The images confirm that the new film is keeping the Black-and-white detective partnership at the core of the franchise: Philip Michael Thomas and Don Johnson originated the roles on NBC’s 1984 series, and Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell led Michael Mann’s 2006 film adaptation.

Jordan and Butler are surrounded by a large ensemble that includes André Holland, Edi Gathegi, Whitney Peak, Danny Ramirez, John Leguizamo, Alden Ehrenreich, Camila Morrone, Walton Goggins, Michael Irby and Andrew Schulz. Leguizamo’s casting brings a direct link to the earlier television series. He made his screen debut in a recurring ‘Miami Vice’ role during the 1980s and has said returning decades later as the new film’s villain feels like a full-circle career moment.

The production milestone matters because earlier announcements left several moving parts in the future tense. Jordan and Butler were confirmed as the leads in April, when the project carried an August 2027 release date and filming was still expected later in the year. The October materials show that principal photography has begun and that Universal has moved the theatrical date to May 2028. Reports place early filming in Wayne, New Jersey, with additional work planned for New York City and Miami.

The original series helped make Thomas’ Tubbs more than a sidekick: he was an equal partner whose New York background and personal losses gave the show one of its defining perspectives. Casting Jordan in that role gives the reboot a Black lead with the stature to carry half of a major studio franchise. It also arrives after his Oscar-winning work in ‘Sinners’ and before his own directing turn on ‘The Thomas Crown Affair,’ placing ‘Miami Vice ’85’ inside a larger period of creative and commercial momentum for the actor-producer.

What Universal has not shown is just as important. There is no trailer, finished scene or detailed synopsis beyond the studio’s broad description, so the posters cannot answer how the film will reinterpret Tubbs, Crockett or the original show’s complicated relationship with policing, style and Miami culture. Production schedules and release dates can also change. For now, the verified development is concrete but limited: cameras are rolling, Jordan and Butler are in character, and the reboot has a current May 2028 destination.