Peacock is Plotting Event Series About Muhammad Ali Alongside Regé-Jean Page & Morgan Freeman

Rege-Jean Page in 2016.
Rege-Jean Page in 2016. Photo by Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock (5725356dy)

We’ve seen several films and TV shows explore Muhammad Ali’s legacy, and another one is on the way. Peacock is plotting an event series about the boxing legend, and Regé-Jean Page & Morgan Freeman are coming on board as executive producers.

The scripted eight-part event series is being developed under the working title Excellence: 8 Fights, and it’s based on the definitive biography Ali: A Life by Jonathan Eig.

The series will chronicle eight distinct and defining moments in Ali’s life, exploring the struggle going on in Ali’s heart and mind as he prepared for some of his most iconic fights, while also dealing with personal drama outside the ring.

BlackKklansman co-writer Kevin Willmott is coming on board as a writer, and he’s executive producing the project alongside Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary’s Revelations Entertainment, Bridgerton alum Regé-Jean Page and Emily Brown. Page is only coming on board as a producer, and there’s no deal in place for him to star as Ali right now.

Muhamed Ali was most notably portrayed by Will Smith in the 2001 film Ali, which earned him a nomination for best actor. More recently, we’ve seen Eli Goree portray the iconic boxer in One Night in Miami…, a fictional retelling of his encounter with Malcolm X, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke.