Samuel L. Jackson has entered the ring of Peacock’s true crime “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” series alongside Kevin Hart.
Jackson will portray Frank Moten, an underworld kingpin named the “Black Godfather” by the NY tabloids.
Peacock ordered the show to series in December with Hart attached to star and executive produce. Will Packer will also executive produce. The show is based on the true-crime podcast “Fight Night” which is produced by Packer through Will Packer Media alongside iHeartPodcasts and Doghouse Pictures. Series creator and writer Shaye Ogbanna (“The Chi,” “Penguin,” “God’s Country”) will serve as showrunner and executive producer alongside Jason Horwitch (“Echo 3,” “The Calling”).
Set in Atlanta, the story will center on the infamous armed robbery that occurred the night of Muhammed Ali’s historic 1970 comeback fight. The series follows the cop and hustler at the center of the criminal underground heist that introduced the city dubbed “the Black Mecca” to the world. According to the show’s logline, the heist “changed not only one man’s life, but an entire city’s destiny.”
Also executive producing are Bryan Smiley and Mike Stein for Hartbeat, Sabrina Wind for Will Packer Media, Conal Byrne, Lars Jacobson, Will Pearson and Carrie Lieberman for iHeartPodcasts and podcast cohost Jeff Keating. Craig Brewer (“Empire,” “Dolemite Is My Name”) will executive produce the series and direct episodes 101 and 102. Tiffany Brown (Hartbeat) and Kenny Burns will co-executive produce. Hart will also produce. The series comes from studio Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.
Kevin Hart is the host of the popular Peacock talk show “Hart To Heart,” as well as the host of Olympic Highlights, 2022 Back That Year Up and his stand-up special “Kevin Hart: Reality Check” on Peacock. Kevin also hosts and produces “Celebrity Prank Wars” and “Celebrity Game Face” for NBCUniversal. Will Packer’s film “Praise This,” starring Chlöe Bailey, is currently available to stream on Peacock.
Jackson is represented by Anonymous Content, CAA, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein.