Miami Vice ’85 has offered its first look at Austin Butler and Michael B. Jordan as Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs, the undercover detectives who made the original 1980s television series a style reference point. The images arrived as production began, giving audiences an early look at how director Joseph Kosinski plans to bring the partnership back to the big screen.
Butler plays Crockett, while Jordan takes on Tubbs, roles first made famous by Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas. The original Miami Vice ran from 1984 to 1989 and followed two detectives working undercover in South Florida, where drug trafficking, corruption and expensive nightlife often occupied the same streets. The new film draws from the show’s pilot and first season, suggesting that it is returning to the early days of the duo rather than simply borrowing the name.
The first-look portraits give the actors distinct but restrained styling. Butler has the leather-jacket look associated with Crockett, while Jordan brings a direct, controlled presence to Tubbs. Still, the images have already raised a fair question: does the film look sufficiently rooted in the mid-1980s, or could it be mistaken for a sleek modern crime thriller wearing retro clothes?
That is a difficult balance for any revival. Miami Vice was never only about the cases. Its pastel suits, fast cars, nightlife and music helped define its identity, and those choices influenced crime dramas long after the series ended. Recreating every detail can make a film feel like a costume party, but stripping too much away risks removing what made the original recognizable in the first place.
The supporting cast includes John Leguizamo, who appeared in the original television series early in his career and now plays the film’s villain. Alden Ehrenreich, Whitney Peak, Camila Morrone, Danny Ramirez, Edi Gathegi, Walton Goggins, André Holland and Michael Irby are also part of the ensemble. Dan Gilroy, known for Nightcrawler and Andor, wrote the screenplay, adding a writer associated with tense crime stories to the project.
The film is set to explore the glamour and corruption of mid-1980s Miami, a setting that offers plenty of room for visual contrast. One scene can move through a sunlit waterfront, while the next can descend into a nightclub or a backroom deal. The city should feel alluring, but the story needs to show the risks hiding underneath its polished surface. Otherwise, the movie could look stylish without giving the style much meaning.
The challenge for Butler and Jordan will be making Crockett and Tubbs feel like partners rather than two famous actors sharing the frame. The original pairing worked because the detectives had different temperaments but a common purpose. The new film has to establish that rhythm for viewers who know the series well and those who are meeting the characters for the first time. Chemistry matters more than matching a poster.
Miami Vice ’85 is scheduled to arrive in theaters on May 19, 2028. The first look offers a taste of the casting and styling, but the real test will come when the film shows how its detectives move through the city and what kind of trouble their partnership gets them into.