Meet The Greatest: your guide to the Muhammad Ali-inspired series
Prime Video’s Muhammad Ali drama just locked in its key players, and a few of the faces stepping into the champ’s inner circle will definitely ring a bell.
The eight-episode drama The Greatest zeroes in on Cassius Clay’s breakthrough years, from his 1960 Olympic gold in Rome to the night he stunned the world against Sonny Liston in 1964. Created by Cross showrunner Ben Watkins, the series is authorized by Ali’s estate, with his widow Lonnie Ali on board as an executive producer. It ’s produced by Michael B. Jordan ’s Outlier Society alongside Roc Nation.
Who’s playing who
- Jaalen Best — Cassius Clay / Muhammad Ali
- Omari Hardwick — Cassius Clay Sr.
- Dana Gourrier — Odessa “Bird” Clay
- Kai Parham — Rudy Clay (who later took the name Rahaman Ali)
- Amin Joseph — Sonny Liston
- Giovanni Ribisi — Angelo Dundee
- Michael Ealy — Malcolm X
A relative newcomer, Best leads the show as the Louisville phenom, and he trained hard to nail Ali’s footwork and swagger — studying the fighting style and mannerisms that made the champ impossible to ignore. He’s flanked by familiar faces, from Power alum Omari Hardwick as Ali’s father to Michael Ealy as Malcolm X, the mentor whose bond with Ali helped shape his political and spiritual awakening.
The story behind the myth
Set against segregated America, the series follows a teenager coming into his power while wrestling with family expectations, identity, and faith — and a country in the middle of seismic change. Expect to see the strategy and support behind the rope-a-dope, too: Giovanni Ribisi steps in as trainer Angelo Dundee, while Amin Joseph faces Best across the ring as Liston, the heavyweight mountain Ali had to climb.
Watkins has said the focus isn’t just the marquee bouts, but the moments around them — the rooms where decisions were made, the relationships that pushed (and sometimes pulled) Ali forward. The first trailer leans into that mix: all bravado on the mic, flicker-jab speed in the gym, and glimpses of the doubts that came with the rise.
All eight episodes stream on Prime Video on November 4, 2026 .