Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler Star in Universal's 'Miami Vice '85' Feature, Joseph Kosinski Directing a September 2026 Florida Shoot

Universal Pictures is moving forward with one of the most anticipated revival projects in recent memory. Miami Vice '85, a feature film reboot of the iconic 1980s television series, is currently in development with a scheduled production start of September 2026 in South Florida. With Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler attached to lead, Joseph Kosinski in the director's chair, and Michael Mann himself producing, this is shaping up to be a major studio event film with a crew call that will be worth tracking closely as production ramps up over the next year.

Joseph Kosinski brings exactly the kind of visceral, visually precise sensibility that a project like this demands. Fresh off the extraordinary global success of Top Gun: Maverick, which grossed over $1.4 billion worldwide and demonstrated his ability to balance practical filmmaking with blockbuster spectacle, Kosinski has firmly established himself as one of Hollywood's most commercially bankable directors. Before Maverick, he helmed Tron: Legacy and Oblivion, both visually ambitious productions that showcased his instinct for sleek, kinetic aesthetics. He is a filmmaker who invests deeply in craft and practical execution, which bodes well for crew looking for a well-run, technically ambitious shoot. Behind the camera, Kosinski is reuniting with cinematographer Claudio Miranda, their third collaboration together following Oblivion and Top Gun: Maverick, for which Miranda won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. That continuity at the top of the camera department is a strong signal about the visual ambition and working culture on this production.

The screenplay comes from a genuinely impressive writing pairing. Eric Singer, who co-wrote American Hustle and co-wrote the screenplay for Bradley Cooper's Maestro, brings a strong sense of character and period texture to the project. Dan Gilroy, the writer-director of Nightcrawler and the writer of The Bourne Legacy, adds a gritty, noirish edge entirely in keeping with the Miami Vice universe. Two writers of this caliber working together on a single script suggests the studio is prioritizing story development alongside spectacle. On the producing side, the presence of Michael Mann is the detail that elevates this project beyond a simple IP reboot. Mann created the original Miami Vice television series and directed the 2006 theatrical adaptation starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx. His involvement as a producer through his company Forward Pass gives this production a direct creative lineage to the source material. Dylan Clark, producing through Dylan Clark Productions, brings serious franchise credentials of his own, having produced all three of the recent Planet of the Apes films as well as Terminator: Dark Fate. Barry Waldman is attached as Line Producer, which means the crew infrastructure is already beginning to take shape.

Paramount Pictures

Michael B. Jordan, presumably taking on the Crockett role, is one of the most bankable dramatic actors working today, known for the Creed franchise, Black Panther, and his acclaimed performance in Just Mercy. Austin Butler, who delivered a career-defining turn as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis and followed it with a strong supporting role in Dune: Part Two, brings a chameleonic quality that suits the deep-cover world of the Tubbs character. Both actors have demonstrated the ability to carry physically demanding material while maintaining dramatic weight, which aligns well with the action-heavy, character-driven tone the project appears to be targeting.

20th Century Studios

Universal Pictures is distributing, with Dylan Clark Productions and Forward Pass serving as the production companies. Universal's involvement signals a proper studio-scale production with the kind of budget and infrastructure associated with major franchise tentpole filmmaking. Given Kosinski's track record, the star power attached, and the IP's global recognition, this will almost certainly be a large-scale SAG-AFTRA union shoot with a substantial department head roster across every discipline. The period piece genre designation is particularly significant for crew: a story set in the mid-1980s in Miami means the art department, costume department, hair and makeup, and transportation will all be operating at scale to recreate a very specific and well-documented visual era. Productions of this type typically build out their art and costume teams early, and with a September 2026 start, those conversations are likely beginning now or in the very near future.

The confirmed filming location of South Florida and the Miami area is a natural and logistically sensible choice. The original series shot extensively on location in Miami, and the city's visual identity is essentially inseparable from the Miami Vice brand. Florida does not currently offer a statewide film production tax incentive at the level of states like Georgia or Louisiana, but Miami's infrastructure has improved considerably over the past decade. The city has hosted major productions including portions of Bad Boys for Life and various episodic television. Local crew in South Florida is available but tends to be thinner at the department head level than markets like Atlanta or Los Angeles, meaning this production will likely bring in many of its key creative department heads from outside the market while hiring below-the-line crew locally. Location scouts and managers familiar with Miami-Dade and Broward counties will be in strong demand, as will local extras casting operations given the period recreation requirements.

With cameras not scheduled to roll until September 2026, this production is very much in its early stage, but that timeline means the hiring window for department heads and key crew is approaching faster than it might appear. Productions of this scale typically begin building their creative team eight to twelve months ahead of photography, putting meaningful crew conversations potentially beginning as early as late 2025. ProductionList.com's full listing for Miami Vice '85 will be updated continuously as crew attachments are confirmed, production office locations are established, and department hiring gets underway. If this is the kind of large-format, prestige action production you are looking to pursue, now is exactly the right time to get your name in front of the people making decisions. Bookmark the listing and check back regularly.

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