Miami Vice ’85 First Look: Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler Lead the Reboot

Miami Vice ’85 has begun filming, with Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler taking on the iconic roles of detectives Ricardo Tubbs and James “Sonny” Crockett. The early first look has drawn attention because it brings one of television’s most recognizable crime-drama partnerships back to the screen with two prominent contemporary actors.

Variety first reported that production was underway and identified Jordan and Butler as the new leads. IMDb also published first-look coverage, while Entertainment Weekly released additional material on October 12, 2026. Source 1 Source 3 Source 5

The production has reached an important milestone, but many details remain unconfirmed. The available reports establish the central casting and filming status. They do not provide a complete plot synopsis, release date, distributor, streaming platform, full supporting cast, or detailed information about the creative team.

What the First Look Reveals

Filming Has Begun

The most significant confirmed update is that filming on Miami Vice ’85 is underway. The project has moved from development and casting into principal photography, making the reboot a more concrete prospect for audiences and longtime fans.

Variety’s report describes the project as a first look at the reboot and confirms that Jordan and Butler will play Tubbs and Crockett. IMDb’s coverage offers the same central production information, while Entertainment Weekly’s report adds to the project’s early visibility. Source 1

The reports do not establish when filming will finish, whether additional photography is planned, or when the project will premiere. Production beginning is an important step, but it does not establish a release date.

Jordan and Butler Play Tubbs and Crockett

Michael B. Jordan is set to play Tubbs, while Austin Butler is set to play Crockett. Their casting places two major contemporary film actors at the center of a franchise built around partnership, undercover work, and contrasting personalities.

Jordan is known for dramatic performances, action-driven roles, and characters defined by intensity and emotional pressure. Butler has developed a profile through dramatic, historical, and genre performances that often combine charisma with vulnerability.

Those backgrounds make the pairing notable, although they do not reveal how the new versions of Tubbs and Crockett will be written. The available first-look summaries do not include detailed character descriptions. The final interpretation will depend on the script, direction, performances, and relationship established between the two detectives.

The Title Signals a Return to the Franchise

The title Miami Vice ’85 directly evokes the property’s 1980s identity. Rather than presenting an unrelated crime drama with a similar setting, the project is being positioned as a revival of the familiar Tubbs and Crockett partnership.

That connection creates both an advantage and a challenge. The franchise already has recognizable characters, a defined tone, and a strong visual association with Miami. The reboot must use those elements without becoming a scene-for-scene reproduction of the original series.

The first-look reports confirm the return of the central characters. They do not explain how closely the new project will follow the original premise, whether it will revisit familiar story ideas, or how it will update the characters for a contemporary audience.

Who Are Tubbs and Crockett?

Tubbs and Crockett are the undercover detective duo associated with the original Miami Vice. Their work places them inside Miami’s criminal underworld, where they investigate dangerous operations while maintaining convincing criminal identities.

Their partnership combines police work, personal trust, and constant exposure to risk. Each detective must perform for criminals, informants, and corrupt figures while protecting the investigation and the people around them. That pressure provides the partnership’s dramatic foundation.

The characters are complementary rather than identical. Their differences create room for disagreement, humor, suspicion, loyalty, and emotional tension. The format depends on both detectives feeling capable on their own while becoming more effective together.

Their roles remain culturally significant because the stories extend beyond conventional police investigations. The assignments involve undercover identities, moral compromises, criminal networks, and the psychological cost of living between two worlds.

The partnership also carries a distinct style. High-risk investigations are combined with nightlife, waterfront locations, fashion, music, and a polished Miami atmosphere. That presentation helped distinguish Miami Vice from traditional police procedurals.

What Jordan Could Bring to Tubbs

Michael B. Jordan has built a reputation for emotionally charged and physically demanding roles. His performances often place characters under sustained pressure, whether the conflict comes from family, professional duty, physical danger, or personal ambition.

That screen presence could suit Tubbs, a detective who must maintain emotional control while operating inside criminal environments. Undercover work demands more than toughness. It requires patience, observation, investigative focus, and the ability to make a false identity appear genuine.

Tubbs must also function as part of a partnership. Jordan’s performance will need to communicate trust in Crockett, not only individual competence. The character’s effectiveness should come from the balance between personal control and dependence on a partner during dangerous operations.

Jordan could give Tubbs a serious, controlled approach to undercover work. His dramatic intensity may help convey the cost of maintaining a criminal identity over time. He could also bring emotional chemistry to the partnership, particularly in scenes where Tubbs challenges Crockett, supports him, or questions his judgment.

The final result will depend on the writing and direction. If the script gives Tubbs a clear investigative perspective and personal stakes, Jordan’s range could make the character more than a conventional action lead.

What Butler Could Bring to Crockett

Austin Butler is cast opposite Jordan as Crockett. His work has moved between stylized, dramatic, historical, and genre performances, giving him experience with characters whose public confidence conceals more complicated emotions.

Crockett requires both charisma and vulnerability. He must appear credible inside dangerous criminal circles while remaining connected to his responsibilities as a police officer. His charm may help him gain access, but his emotional openness can also create risk.

The character must navigate an unstable identity. Every interaction with criminals can become a test, while every decision affects the investigation and his relationship with Tubbs. That combination gives Butler room to build a Crockett who feels confident without becoming invulnerable.

Butler could bring instinctive or unpredictable energy to Crockett. That quality would create a useful contrast with a more controlled Tubbs, particularly during undercover operations where improvisation can determine whether a cover survives.

His charisma could also serve the character’s access to Miami’s criminal and nightlife environments. Crockett must move comfortably through spaces defined by wealth, danger, and performance. A confident exterior can become part of the detective’s investigative equipment.

The available first-look reports do not describe the specific characterization, so these possibilities remain speculative rather than confirmed details.

Why the Casting Pairing Matters

The success of Miami Vice ’85 will depend heavily on the chemistry between Jordan and Butler. Tubbs and Crockett must feel like equals even when they disagree. Their differences should create balance and tension rather than reduce one character to a supporting role.

Several questions remain open. Will the detectives begin as established partners, or will the story show how their professional relationship develops? Will their contrasting personalities produce frequent conflict, or will they operate with immediate trust? Will their connection be defined primarily by police work, personal loyalty, or both?

The partnership must carry action sequences and quieter investigative scenes. Spectacle can introduce the characters, but trust, disagreement, and shared danger will determine whether the duo feels convincing.

Casting Jordan and Butler gives the reboot a contemporary profile. Their involvement can attract viewers who remember the original franchise and audiences encountering Tubbs and Crockett for the first time. The project must establish a distinctive relationship rather than simply place two recognizable actors in familiar roles.

How the Reboot Connects to the Original Series

The “’85” in the title points toward the cultural and visual identity associated with mid-1980s Miami. It suggests a period setting or, at minimum, a deliberate connection to the era that shaped the franchise’s original image.

That setting could support stories involving undercover police work, international crime networks, nightlife, waterfront environments, and decade-specific fashion. Music and visual design could also help establish the atmosphere.

The reports do not confirm the complete historical setting or storyline. They do not identify specific locations, costumes, cases, or period details. Those elements remain subjects for future official announcements and footage.

Returning viewers are likely to associate Miami Vice ’85 with Tubbs and Crockett, Miami-based criminal investigations, undercover operations, and a strong visual identity. However, only the title, central casting, and start of filming are confirmed by the current reports.

The project appears designed to revive Miami Vice for a new audience. A reboot can preserve the property’s central ideas while changing the characters’ histories, narrative structure, tone, and visual approach. That balance will determine whether Miami Vice ’85 feels connected to its source without becoming dependent on nostalgia.

What the Reports Confirm

Variety

Variety provides the primary first-look report summarized in the available material. Its coverage identifies Miami Vice ’85 as filming and confirms Jordan and Butler in the central roles of Tubbs and Crockett. Source 1

The report establishes the project’s production status and central casting. It does not provide a complete schedule or detailed storyline based on the supplied summary.

IMDb

IMDb also presented first-look coverage featuring the two actors. Its report supports the available information about production beginning and the casting of Jordan and Butler. Source 3

This confirmation supports the central development but does not establish details absent from the available summaries.

Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly published first-look coverage on October 12, 2026, featuring Jordan and Butler in connection with Miami Vice ’85. Source 5

The report adds to the project’s early visual and casting attention. It does not establish a release date, completed production timeline, or full storyline.

What Has Not Been Announced

The available reports do not provide a detailed synopsis. Questions remain about the case that brings Tubbs and Crockett together, whether they are already established partners, how closely the story will follow the original premise, and whether the reboot will revise their personal histories.

The supplied summaries also do not identify the full supporting cast or provide confirmed details about the director, writers, producers, or other members of the creative team. Those announcements will help clarify the project’s creative direction.

No release date, platform, network, or distributor is confirmed in the available source summaries. The start of filming does not establish when Miami Vice ’85 will premiere. Future information should come from official production announcements, the distributor, or the network or platform responsible for release.

What Fans May Expect

The Tubbs and Crockett premise naturally supports investigations involving organized crime, smuggling, corruption, informants, and competing criminal networks. These possibilities fit the franchise’s foundation but are not confirmed details about the new story.

The strongest version of the reboot will likely use undercover work to create suspense and personal risk. Each detective must protect the investigation while maintaining a false identity, and every relationship inside the criminal world can become a threat.

Miami can function as more than a backdrop. Coastal settings, nighttime cityscapes, luxury environments, and waterfront locations can contrast glamour with criminal danger. A distinctive atmosphere could help the reboot establish its identity, although the first-look summaries do not confirm specific locations or costumes.

Jordan and Butler are the project’s central selling point. Their characters need to share trust, disagreement, and a sense of common danger. The audience response will likely depend on whether this new pairing feels recognizable without becoming an imitation.

Conclusion

Miami Vice ’85 has begun filming with Michael B. Jordan as Tubbs and Austin Butler as Crockett. Variety, IMDb, and Entertainment Weekly have contributed to the project’s early first-look attention, confirming the reboot’s central casting and production status.

The biggest creative test will be honoring the franchise while establishing a fresh identity. The production has recognizable characters, a title tied to the 1980s, and two high-profile actors at its center. It still needs to define its story, supporting cast, creative team, visual approach, and release strategy.

For now, the first look establishes one clear development: a new Tubbs and Crockett partnership is taking shape.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is playing Tubbs and Crockett in Miami Vice ’85?

Michael B. Jordan is set to play Tubbs, while Austin Butler is set to play Crockett. Their casting was highlighted in first-look reports from Variety, IMDb, and Entertainment Weekly.

Has filming begun on Miami Vice ’85?

Yes. The supplied reports state that filming has begun. The available summaries do not provide a complete production schedule or confirmed completion date.

Is Miami Vice ’85 connected to the original series?

Yes. The project revives the Tubbs and Crockett partnership associated with Miami Vice. The title also references the franchise’s 1980s identity, although the full story connection has not been detailed.

What is Miami Vice ’85 about?

The reports confirm the central characters and the beginning of filming but do not provide a complete plot synopsis. Details about the case, supporting characters, personal histories, and narrative structure remain unknown.

When will Miami Vice ’85 be released?

No release date is provided in the available source summaries. A confirmed premiere date should come from the production, distributor, network, or official streaming platform.

Where can viewers see the first look?

First-look coverage was reported by Variety, IMDb, and Entertainment Weekly. The available reports focus on the start of production and the casting of Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler.