Muhammad Ali To Get First Scripted Series Via Amazon Prime

The Greatest is heading to Amazon Prime Video.

For the first time ever, the Muhammad Ali estate has approved a scripted series based on the life of the legendary boxer. The late boxer's widow Lonnie Ali will serve as the series' Executive Producer, while actor Jaalen Best of CBS's Magnum P.I. and FX's American Horror Story will portray the late boxing great who passed away due to Parkinson's in 2016.

‘THE GREATEST’ WILL SHOWCASE THE LIFE OF MUHAMMAD ALI

In a press release, Amazon Prime says that "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 the spotlight. The world remembers an icon, but ‘The Greatest’ is about a man, a husband, a father, a brother and a son."

The series is coming with high expectations as it will also be directed by Amazon's Alex Cross show creator Ben Watkins as well as Creed boxing movie star Michael B. Jordan. In recent months, Amazon Prime Video has shifted away from competing in the movie space per se, and rather has focused its attention on scripted series. Shows such as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel to The Boys, Reacher, The Outlaws, the Yellowstone-like Outer Range starring Josh Brolin, and the postapocalyptic RPG series Fallout have helped give new life to the Prime streaming service. 

Amazon Prime Video has also acquired the rights for a number of NBA games beginning at the start of the 2025-2026 season and also the NFL's Thursday Night Football games. 

Boxing and sports fans will hope that the positive run continues with The Greatest because otherwise, due to the Ali estate having such tight control over the late boxing legend's name and likeness, if the new series isn't that great, we'll be stuck with the decent-at-best 2001 Ali movie starring Will Smith.