'Top Gun: Maverick' helmer Joseph Kosinski to develop new 'Miami Vice' remake; Michael Mann's involvement unlikely

19 years after Michael Mann directed a contemporary reboot of the hit 1984 television show he helped create, another A-list filmmaker is developing a new Miami Vice remake. Variety reports that Joseph Kosinski, director of giant tentpole titles like Top Gun: Maverick, Oblivion, and Tron: Legacy, is working on the project with backing from Universal Pictures, from a script by Nightcrawler writer-director Dan Gilroy.

It appears Mann, who was largely an executive producer on the original show, won't be involved this time around.

While there is no casting update yet, it goes without saying that the film will follow the stylish buddy cop thriller template of the 1984 show — about two undercover detectives in South Florida risking their lives to infiltrate and investigate criminal enterprises of all kinds. The template was followed by Michael Mann in the 2006 film, starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx, who took on the roles of James "Sonny" Crockett and Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs, essayed by Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas in the show.

Kosinski will also handle producing duties for the remake through his company Monolith alongside producer Dylan Clark, who backed Oblivion and the recent Planet of the Apes film series.

The original Miami Vice show, which ran for five seasons, was a huge success on television, with a pathbreaking storytelling format, striking visual and musical choices, influential costume design, stylish vehicles, aircraft, helicopters, and a massive list of cameos from actors who would later go on to become A-listers themselves, such as Bruce Willis, Laurence Fishburne, Julia Roberts, Liam Neeson, Ben Stiller, Benicio del Toro, and Stanley Tucci in addition to chartbusting musicians like Phil Collins, Miles Davis, James Brown, Barbra Streisand and others.

The 2006 film reboot, however, wasn't a hit despite its competent filmmaking and heavy star presence. A superior Director's Cut, with additional footage, was released on home video later.

Meanwhile, Kosinski has directed a new film titled F1, starring Brad Pitt as a Formula One racer, slated for theatrical release in regular and IMAX formats on June 27, 2025.

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