The 'Miami Vice' Movie From 'Top Gun: Maverick' Director Has Found their Crockett & Tubbs

After Deadline broke the news that Michael B. Jordan was in line for the Ricardo Tubbs role in Universal‘s Miami Vice movie being directed by Joseph Kosinksi, the studio now looks to have zeroed in on his partner. Deadline is hearing Austin Butler is in early talks to star as iconic TV detective James “Sonny” Crockett, the character made famous by Don Johnson in Michael Mann’s 1980s TV series.

Sources say it is still early days and no deals are done, but after scheduling was worked out for the film to shoot later in 2026, Butler is engaging and interested. As for Jordan, his deal to play Tubbs is also early days.

I can't pretend to be some huge fan of the original show as it ended well before I was born and I never caught reruns. But it's influence is undeniable. GTA Vice city being one of it's many spiritual children I have enjoyed. The one thing I know is that the Crockett & Tubbs buddy dynamic needs to be excellent. I'm talking undeniably good. I'd say MBJ has had that with most of the movies I've seen him in. Butler is a different story. Way more of a lone wolf, at least in the stuff I've seen him work in. I think you could say the same thing about Colin Farrell before he signed on to the Michael Mann version of this movie too. It didn't totally work there, but then he went and made 'In Bruges' which proved it wasn't him, just the actor he was working alongside. 

For director Joseph Kosinski, this is the natural next step. He's made excellent legacy sequels that have conquered air and land which mean's sea is next. I also think he did a great job in 'Tron: Legacy' making a very stylized world for this characters to play around in. I'm not sure what era they're looking to shoot in, but an really synthed out 80's miami with those fits on two of the hottest leading men in hollywood should do numbers.