Amazon Prime announces Muhammad Ali series “The Greatest” starring Jaalen Best, executive produced by Lonnie Ali

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee and with that, Amazon Prime Video has officially announced The Greatest, the first authorized scripted series about the life of Muhammad Ali. Jaalen Best will play Ali, and Ben Watkins, the creator of Amazon’s upcoming Alex Cross series, serves as showrunner. Wow, that’s been a long time coming.

The series is being produced in association with Ali’s estate. Ali’s widow, Lonnie Ali, is executive producing “The Greatest.” Yes! Authenticity is key, and this blessing from Ali’s widow makes that prospect all the more likely.

The series will not only capture Ali’s legendary victories and defeats in the ring, but also the intimate moments of his life away from the spotlight. According to the official description, “The world remembers an icon, but ‘The Greatest’ is about a man, a husband, a father, a brother and a son.”

When it came to Ali’s life rights, executive producer Josh Wakely was the first to acquire them and then pitched the project to Amazon.

The high-profile series is produced by Amazon MGM Studios in association with Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society, Ben Watkins’ Blue Monday Productions, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, Universal Music Group’s Polygram Entertainment, Wakely’s Grace: A Storytelling Company and Authentic Studios, which owns the rights to Ali’s image.

“Muhammed Ali embodied commitment and passion for multiple generations of Americans. His journey is best told in its entirety by a team whose dedication reflects that example,” said Vernon Sanders, Head of Television at Amazon MGM Studios. “Ali’s story is a powerful tale of one of the most significant global figures of the 20th century. We are proud to partner with Ben, along with Outlier, Roc Nation, Polygram, Grace, Authentic Brands, Lonnie Ali and the very talented Jaalen Best, who we know will do a remarkable job bringing ‘The Greatest’ to life for our Prime Video customers worldwide.”

The executive producing team includes Lonnie Ali and Wakely, and includes Watkins, Michael B. Jordan and Elizabeth Raposo, president of the Outlier Society, Corey Salter, Marc Rosen and Matthew Gross of Authentic Brand Group, and Michele Anthony and Boyd Muir of Polygram. David Blackman is co-executive producer for Polygram. Stefano Agosto, executive vice president of television at the Outlier Society, will oversee the project for Outlier.

If you don’t know him, Jaalen Best, known for his recurring role as Ryan Craig in Season 2 of the CW’s “All American: Homecoming,” has also appeared in episodes of “Magnum PI” and “American Horror Stories.” He is repped by Luber Roklin Entertainment and GGSSC.

I don’t know about you, but we are super excited!