Sumith Prasad
Peacock has ordered the limited series ‘Fight Night,’ penned by Lars Jacobson. Kevin Hart headlines the cast of the show, which began filming in Atlanta, Georgia, in February. The action comedy follows the lives of Atlanta-based hustler Gordon “Chicken Man” Williams and the city’s first black detective JD Hudson. Set on the eve of Muhammad Ali’s comeback fight in 1970, the biographical show centers on a post-fight party thrown by Williams that’s attended by the most dangerous gangsters in the country. They get “robbed at gunpoint of more than $1 million, making it to this day the largest heist in Georgia history,” reads the logline.
Lars Jacobson originally developed the project as a movie after Universal Pictures optioned the life rights package for the project to go forward. The screenwriter co-penned ‘Day of the Dead: Bloodline,’ a remake of the eponymous 1985 film by George A. Romero. He also developed a spy drama titled ‘Fodor,’ based on the life of travel writer-turned-spy Eugene Fodor, at NBC International. Jacobson serves as an executive producer of the project as well.
Hart has joined the cast of the series after completing Netflix’s action-comedy film ‘Lift.’ The actor-comedian’s upcoming movies also include Eli Roth’s ‘Borderlands,’ in which he stars alongside Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ariana Greenblatt, and Jack Black. His recently released films/shows are ‘Back on the Strip,’ ‘Die Hart’ season 2, and Netflix projects such as ‘Me Time,’ ‘The Man from Toronto,’ ‘True Story,’ and ‘Fatherhood.’
In addition to Hart, the series will also feature Samuel L. Jackson as Frank Moten, Terrence Howard as Richard Wheeler, Dexter Darden as Muhammad Ali, Taraji P. Henson as Vivian Thomas, Don Cheadle as JD Hudson, Marsha Stephanie Blake as Delores Hudson, and Rockmond Dunbar as Uncle Willie. The rest of the cast includes Myles Bullock, Chloe Bailey, Melvin Gregg, Jalyn Hall, Clifton Powell, and Lori Harvey.
Will Packer of Universal-based Will Packer Productions executive produces the show along with James Lopez. Packer, whose credits include ‘Girls Trip’ and film franchises such as ‘Think Like a Man’ and ‘Ride Along,’ was on board the project while Jacobson was developing the same as a movie. Jeff Keating and Kenny Burns are part of the production team as well. The series is produced under the banner of Universal Television.
Atlanta, which is renowned as “Hollywood East” in present times, has been a go-to filming destination for high-profile movies and shows. The city previously hosted the production of this year’s major releases such as Emily Blunt and Chris Evans-starrer ‘Pain Hustlers,’ ‘Loki’ season 2, Netflix’s crime drama ‘Reptile,’ and ‘The Exorcist: Believer.’
Read More: Jeff Bridges, Dave Bautista, and Bryan Cranston Cast in Robert D. Krzykowski’s Grendel
