Prime Video’s The Greatest portrays Ali beyond the ring

The Greatest begins in 1960, with 18-year-old Cassius Clay winning Olympic gold in Rome and calling his family from a phone booth afterward. The eight-episode Prime Video series follows the young boxer from that milestone through his rise to heavyweight champion in 1964, portraying both his sporting achievements and his life beyond the ring.

Best plays Clay, who later became known as Muhammad Ali. The actor said he lost nearly 40 pounds for the role, reaching 163 pounds to portray Ali as a teenager. He described the responsibility of playing someone so widely admired as a source of pressure, particularly because Ali’s family backed the project.

Writer and director Ben Watkins developed the series in collaboration with Ali’s estate. Watkins has said he wanted to show Ali as a person with fears and flaws, not only as an iconic champion. The story follows Clay’s family life in Louisville, his professional boxing career, his embrace of Islam and his close connection with Malcolm X.

The cast includes Dana Gourrier and Omari Hardwick as Ali’s parents, Giovanni Ribisi as trainer Angelo Dundee, Michael Ealy as Malcolm X and Amin Joseph as Sonny Liston. The series also features staged fights, including bouts involving Liston and Henry Cooper, alongside music by contemporary artists and performers from Ali’s era.

All eight episodes premiere on Prime Video on November 4.