Regina King to Make Film Directorial Debut With 'One Night in Miami'
Oscar and Emmy winner Regina King is set to make her feature film directorial debut with 'One Night in Miami,' an adaptation of Kemp Powers’ play.
Set on the night of February 25, 1964, the story follows a young Cassius Clay (before he was known as Muhammad Ali) as he shocks the world by becoming the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion.
While crowds swarm Miami Beach’s hotspots to celebrate the match, Clay — unable to stay on the island because of Jim Crow-era segregation laws — spends the night at the Hampton House Motel in the city's Overtown neighborhood celebrating with three of his friends: activist Malcolm X, singer Sam Cooke and football star Jim Brown. The next morning, the men emerge determined to define a new world.
Featuring the music of Cooke, including his hit song, "A Change Is Gonna Come," the film is "a piercing narrative for the evening, which challenges the four men, strips them bare and reveals them for who they were."
King is a highly-acclaimed actress who won an Academy Award for last year's searing "If Beale Street Could Talk." She has also won three Emmys, twice for "American Crime" and once for "Seven Seconds." She next reteams with "Leftovers" creator Damon Lindelof for his adaptation of "Watchmen" on HBO.
King has also moved into directing by helming television episodes of "Scandal," "This Is Us," "Shameless," and "Insecure."