Kevin Hart Cast in Muhammad Ali ‘Fight Night’ Heist Thriller Series at Peacock

Peacock has ordered “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” starring Kevin Hart as a limited drama series.

The story is based on the infamous armed robbery that happened the night of Muhammad Ali’s historic 1970 comeback fight. Set in Atlanta, the series follows the heavyweight fight and criminal underground heist that introduced the world to the city dubbed “the Black Mecca,” and the cop and the hustler at the center of it all. According to the show’s logline, the heist “changed not only one man’s life, but an entire city’s destiny.”

The series is created and written by Shaye Ogbonna (“Penguin,” “The Chi,” “God’s Country”). Ogbonna and Jason Horwitch (“Echo 3,” “The Calling”) will both serve as showrunners and executive producers. Source material includes the true-crime podcast “Fight Night” from iHeartPodcasts, Doghouse Pictures and Will Packer Media.

Also executive producing are Bryan Smiley and Mike Stein for Hartbeat, Sabrina Wind for Will Packer Media, Conal Byrne, Lars Jacobson, Will Pearson and Carrie Lieberman for iHeartPodcasts and podcast cohost Jeff Keating. Craig Brewer (“Empire,” “Dolemite Is My Name”) will executive produce the series and direct episodes 101 and 102. Tiffany Brown (Hartbeat) and Kenny Burns will co-executive produce. Hart will also produce.

Hart hosts the Peacock talk show “Hart to Heart,” as well as Olympic Highlights and 2022’s Back That Year Up for the streamer. Hart also debuted his stand-up special “Kevin Hart: Reality Check” on Peacock earlier this year. Kevin hosts and produces “Celebrity Prank Wars “and “Celebrity Game Face” for NBCUniversal. Will Packer’s film “Praise This,” starring Chlöe Bailey, is currently available to stream on Peacock.

Hart recently stepped in as interim CEO of his production company after Thai Randolph stepped down. Randolph remains strategic advisor to Hart. She headed the 2022 merger deal between Hart’s then-two companies, Harbeat Productions and Laugh Out Loud, to form Hartbeat. She helped raise $100 million from Abry Partners to fuel the growth of the new company. Under Randolph, the company released more than 20 projects in 2022 and has already released 18 projects in 2023, with over 70 more in development. Hartbeat recently opened three new offices, including its new Los Angeles headquarters.

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