Join The Club
Austin Butler’s work schedule sounds exhausting, but also like he's opened Hollywood’s junk drawer and found nothing but prestige projects. The Oscar nominee has a Lance Armstrong biopic, a Park Chan-wook Western with Matthew McConaughey and, maybe most intriguingly for fans of new action movies, the recently confirmed Miami Vice reboot with Michael B. Jordan and director Joseph Kosinski. The actor has finally broken his silence on joining MBJ for the Miami reboot, and it sounds exciting.
It was reported last year that Butler was being eyed to play the role of Det. James "Sonny Crockett in the latest Miami Vice movie alongside Jordan's Det. Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs. Earlier this year, Butler's involvement was reportedly confirmed. During a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Butler was asked directly if he was looking forward to Miami Vice, and his answer was brief but enthusiastic. The actor did not spill plot details, but responded:
So much. I’m looking forward to working with Michael [B. Jordan] and Joseph Kosinski. I’ve been a fan of both of theirs for a long time, and I feel very grateful that we get to go on that journey.
That is the first real temperature check we’ve gotten from Butler on the project, and it sounds like he’s very much all in. The reboot, titled Miami Vice ’85, has already drawn attention because of the talent attached. Kosinski is coming off major crowd-pleasing work with Top Gun: Maverick and F1, while newly minted Oscar winner Jordan has continued building a movie-star/director résumé that makes almost anything he joins worth tracking.
Butler Sounds Especially Excited About Michael B. Jordan
Butler and Jordan were previously paired with Paul Mescal for Vanity Fair’s Hollywood cover, and the magazine also featured the trio in a fun video where they watched iconic movie clips together. So Miami Vice ’85 will give Butler and Jordan a chance to actually share the screen. When asked whether he was excited to reunite with Jordan, he kept the praise coming:
Very much so. Just getting to work with somebody who’s not only a kind human being, but incredibly talented and hardworking. I’m very excited for the process.
For me, the Butler/Jordan pairing is the real draw here. Miami Vice is a known quantity, but nothing I have a particular relationship with, and that may be true for tons of potential theater goers. The reboot will need more than brand recognition. The original TV series has its own neon-soaked identity, and Michael Mann’s 2006 film has a moody, bruising energy that people still argue about. A new version has to justify itself, and casting two actors with serious screen presence is a pretty good place to start.
Miami Vice ’85 Has Some Serious Style Potential
The reboot's title alone suggests the movie may lean into the period setting rather than try to drag Miami Vice into the present day. That could be a smart move. The 1980s are baked into the franchise's DNA. When I think of Miami Vice, what immediately comes to mind is the music, cars, suits, heat, danger and the kind of cool that looks effortless.
Butler feels like a natural fit for that type of world. He has already shown he can carry a very specific aesthetic without disappearing inside it, whether playing Elvis Presley or bringing quiet swagger to The Bikeriders. Or, starring in another period piece, like Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing. Jordan, meanwhile, has the charisma and physicality to make the action side click. One needn't look further than Jordan's celebrated work in Sinners or the Creed movies to get a sense of his talents.
With Kosinski behind the camera, this reboot also has a chance to feel big and very cinematic. If Miami Vice ’85 is going to work, it probably needs to look expensive, move fast and still have enough character tension under the hood to keep it from becoming a music video with badges.
For now, Austin Butler is wise not to give much away. But between his excitement for his co-star, his praise for the director and the sheer “wait, this could actually rip” potential of the project, Miami Vice ’85 is starting to look like one of the more interesting reboots on the horizon.
