Rockmond Dunbar and Marsha Stephanie Blake are the latest to join the cast of Peacock’s limited series ‘Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist.’
They joins previously cast Don Cheadle, Kevin Hart, Samuel L. Jackson, Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson, Dexter Darden, and Myles Bullock.
Ordered to series in December, the show is based on the Will Packer-produced podcast chronicling an armed robbery during Muhammad Ali’s 1970 comeback fight in Atlanta, portrayed by Dexter Darden. Chloe Bailey, Clifton Powell, Melvin Gregg, Artrece Johnson, Jalyn Hall, and Lori Harvey round out the series.
The Atlanta-set series, created by Shaye Ogbonna, explores the night of Ali’s victory over Jerry Quarry, a significant moment following Ali’s ban from boxing for refusing military draft entry. However following the fight, hundreds of guests at an after-party were robbed at gunpoint, becoming one of the largest armed robberies the country has ever seen. Fight Night, set in Atlanta, will focus on the cop and the hustler at the center of it all.
Dunbar will play Uncle Willie, who owns an autobody shop but his real job is as the top fence in the area. Blake will star as Delores Hudson, described as “JD’s (Cheadle) wife and a social worker fighting for her community.”
Cheadle will portray JD Hudson, one of Atlanta’s first Black detectives assigned to Ali’s security detail and the robbery. Darden will portray the late, great boxer Muhammad Ali, and Henson will play Vivian Thomas, Chicken Man’s (Hart) mistress, described as “a savvy businesswoman.”
Howard will play the role of Richard “Cadillac” Wheeler, a series regular and a gangster associated with the Council of 12. Jackson portrays Frank Moten, known as “the Black Godfather,” and Hart will star as Chicken Man, described as “a hustler trying to level up.”
Ogbonna and Jason Horwitch will serve as showrunners, unraveling the stories of a hustler and an Atlanta detective, one of the city’s first Black police officers. The series aims to shed light on Atlanta’s identity as “the Black Mecca.”
Executive producers include Bryan Smiley, Mike Stein, Will Packer, Sabrina Wind, Conal Byrne, Will Pearson, Carrie Lieberman, Jeff Keating, and Lars Jacobson. Craig Brewer, director of “Dolemite Is My Name,” is set to direct the first two episodes, with Tiffany Brown and Kenny Burns co-executive producing.
This marks Dunbar’s first acting job since he was terminated from 9-1-1 in 2021 over not complying with the studio’s Covid vaccine mandate after his requests for a medical and religious exemptions were rejected. The actor subsequently filed a $1M lawsuit against Disney over the firing, with the case now headed to trial.
