Amazon's Muhammad Ali Biopic Casts One of The Champ's Major Rivals

Per Deadline, Amin Joseph is set to play Sonny Liston in The Greatest. Joseph is best known for his roles in FX's Snowfall and To Live and Die and Live. Liston was the Heavyweight champ before fighting Muhammad Ali, and their first bout is one of Ali's most iconic fights of all-time, alongside the infamous Rumble in the Jungle with George Foreman, and his two bouts against Joe Frazier.

The Greatest is being executive produced by Creed star, Michael B. Jordan, along with Ben Watkins, who is acting as showrunner. Muhammad Ali's widow, Lonnie Ali, is also serving as an executive producer on the series. The Greatest will cover some of Ali's most high profile moments throughout his career, as well as his private life outside the ring. The official synopsis reads:

"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."

Who Was Sonny Liston?

The new boxing biopic was written by 'Moonlight' mastermind Barry Jenkins and directed by 'Black Panther' cinematographer Rachel Morrison.

Omari Hardwick will portray Cassius Clay Sr. (Ali's father) with Dana Gourrier playing his mother, Odessa Clay. No release date has been announced for The Greatest yet. The new series is hardly the first biopic about the life of Muhammad Ali. In 2001, Will Smith played The Champ in Ali, directed by Michael Mann, which was nominated for two Oscars - one for Smith's phenomenal performance as Ali.