Yahoo Lifestyle Muhammad Ali Amazon Series ‘The Greatest’ Casts Amin Joseph as Sonny Liston
The upcoming Amazon Prime Video series “The Greatest,” which tells the story of the life of Muhammad Ali, has added Amin Joseph to its cast.
Joseph will play Sonny Liston in the drama in a series regular role. He will appear alongside previously announced series lead Jaalen Best in the as well as cast members Omari Hardwick and Dana Gourrier, who will play Ali’s parents.
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The official description for the series states that it “intimately explores the incomparable life of Muhammad Ali (Best). 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 of the spotlight. The world remembers an icon, but ‘The Greatest’ is about a man, a husband, a father, a brother, and a son.”
Liston is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He defeated Floyd Patterson in 1962 to become the undisputed world heavyweight champion and defeated Patterson again in a rematch the following year. He was beaten twice by Ali, first in 1964 and again in 1965. Liston’s last professional fight was in 1970. He ended his career with a record of 50 wins (39 by KO) and 4 losses.
Joseph most recently starred in the hit comedy film “One of Them Days” with Keke Palmer and SZA, and has also been in features such as “To Live and Die and Live,” “City of Lies,” “The After Party,” and “The Expendables.” In television, he is best known for his role as Jerome Saint in the critically-acclaimed FX drama “Snowfall.” In addition to starring in all six seasons of the series, Joseph also made his directorial debut by helming the series’ episode “Ballad of the Bear.” His other TV roles include “Justified: City Primeval” and “Transparent.”
He is repped by Entertainment 360, Fox Rothschild, and Gersh.
Ben Watkins is attached to serve as executive producer and showrunner on “The Greatest,” with Watkins executive producing under his Blue Monday banner. Michael B. Jordan will executive produce on behalf of Outlier Society, with Outlier’s president Elizabeth Raposo also executive producing. Lonnie Ali, the widow of the late legend, along with Authentic Brand Group’s Corey Salter, Marc Rosen and Matthew Gross will serve as executive producers on the series as well. Additional executive producers will include Aiyana White and Jeff Augustin; Roc Nation; Michele Anthony, Boyd Muir, and co-executive producer David Blackman for Polygram; and Josh Wakely via his Grace: A Storytelling Company. Stefano Agosto, executive vice president of television at Outlier Society, will oversee the project on behalf of the company.
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