How Austin Butler Got Miami Vice Movie Role Instead of Glen Powell

Nearly a week after Academy Award nominee Austin Butler‘s casting in the Miami Vice movie was confirmed, a new report revealed how the Elvis actor was able to beat out Top Gun: Maverick star Glen Powell for the lead role of Sonny. When the project was first announced, Powell was actually the first one that Universal Pictures was reportedly eyeing to star alongside Michael B. Jordan in the upcoming reboot.

How did Austin Butler win the role of Sonny in the Miami Vice movie?

According to The InSneider, Butler was already on the studio’s list of actors they’re considering for the role of James “Sonny” Crockett, a character formerly played by Don Johnson in the original 1980s TV show. However, Powell was reportedly placed at the top of the list. The outlet claimed that Butler managed to pull ahead of the Twisters star after he went directly to Jordan to pitch him why he would be the “perfect” Sonny to his Rico Tubbs.

It seems like the Dune: Part II star was able to convince Jordan, as the outlet revealed that Jordan went to the studio to push for Butler’s casting. This wasn’t actually a difficult decision for the studio since the executives want to build a good creative partnership with Jordan and are also excited for the chance to work with Butler.

The Miami Vice reboot will be directed by Joseph Kosinski from a screenplay written by Emmy-winning scribe Dan Gilroy, based on an earlier draft by Eric Warren Singer. The movie will be produced by Kosinski and Dylan Clark. Production is expected to begin in 2026, just in time for its theatrical release on August 6, 2027.

The original Miami Vice series was created by Anthony Yerkovich, with legendary filmmaker Michael Mann serving as its executive producer. It ran on-air for five seasons from 1984 to 1989 on NBC. Led by Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas, the story followed two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. This won’t be the first time that the studio has adapted the show into a movie, since Universal previously produced the 2006 reboot led by Jamie Foxx as Rico and Colin Farrell as Sonny.

(Source: The InSneider)

Source: Comingsoon.net