Season 1 Of ‘The Greatest’ Runs From 1960 To 1964

Ben Watkins told Deadline that the first season of The Greatest chronicles the early years in Muhammad Ali’s career.

“We filmed Season 1, which starts in 1960 when he wins the gold medal and ends in 1964 when he wins the heavyweight title for the first time,” Watkins told Deadline. “In between, there is a coming-of-age story, and a very intimate coming-of-age story, that really shows a different side of Ali, who was then Cassius Clay.”

Michael B. Jordan — who, of course, starred as Apollo Creed’s son, Adonis Creed, in the Creed boxing movie series in collaboration with his Sinners director Ryan Coogler — noted at Amazon’s Upfront how The Greatest marks a big first for the boxer’s estate.

“Muhammad Ali is a man who transcended sport. No athlete, no celebrity, no public figure had an impact quite like Ali,” Jordan said. “Until now, no project has ever been authorized by the Ali estate.”

Muhammad Ali died on June 3, 2016, at age 74 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Lonnie Ali Says Jaalen Best Is The Best For The Role Of Muhammad Ali

Jaalen Best is a relative newcomer to acting. He played a bit role in FX Network’s American Horror Stories in 2022, played a recurring role in three episodes of the CW sports drama All American: Homecoming in 2023, and appeared in a small guest role in CBS’ action series Magnum: PI the same year.

Despite Best’s limited screen exposure, he somehow found his way into Lonnie Ali and Michael B. Jordan’s orbit while conducting a nationwide search to fill the boxer’s shoes.

"We looked high and low," Lonnie Ali said during Amazon’s Upfront presentation. "And I'm telling you, his mother would be so proud of this young man."

After embracing Ali and Jordan after his introduction, Best said, “I just want to say it’s a complete honor to be standing here and to be introduced by Michael B. Jordan — someone I look up to, not just as an actor, but a person as well. And to have the honor to stand next to the great Lonnie Ali … I would just like to say, too, you know, without her blessing for this role, without her trust in me, I would not be standing up here on the stage.”

As for playing Muhammad Ali, Best noted at Amazon’s Upfront that it is “one of the most humbling, terrifying, exhilarating, inspiring all at once, all together situations for me. I put my all into this role. I gave it everything that I had and I'm proud of the person I became after it. And because of this moment, it's changed me forever, and I hope that I've done everything I needed to do to uphold the legacy of one of the greatest — the greatest — of all time, Muhammad Ali.”

Muhammad Ali, of course, was previously played by Will Smith in 2001’s Ali, which earned the performer his first Best Actor Oscar nomination. More recently, Ali was portrayed as a supporting character by Dexter Darden in the Peacock limited series Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist in 2024.