By Wilson Morales

The film explores when Cassius Clay hung out with Sam Cooke, Malcolm X and Jim Brown.

Deadline is reporting that Oscar-winning actress Regina King is set to direct One Night in Miami, based on the debut play from Kemp Powers, who has adapted it for the screen.

Set on the night of February 25, 1964, the story follows a young Cassius Clay as he emerges from the Miami Beach Convention Center as the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. Against all odds, he’s defeated Sonny Liston and shocked the world of boxing. While crowds of people swarm Miami Beach’s hotspots to celebrate the match, Clay — unable to stay on the island because of Jim Crow-era segregation laws — spends the night at the Hampton House Motel in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood celebrating with three of his friends: singer Sam Cooke, activist Malcolm X and football star Jim Brown. The next morning, the men emerge determined to define a new world.

In One Night in Miami, Powers aims to pinpoint exactly what happened during those pivotal hours. Featuring the music of Cooke, including his hit song, “A Change Is Gonna Come,” the film offers a piercing narrative for the evening, which challenges the four men, strips them bare and reveals them for who they were.

The pic is being produced by Snoot Entertainment (Blindspotting, Little Monsters) and ABKCO, with Keith Calder and Jess Wu Calder producing for Snoot and Jody Klein for ABKCO.

King next will star in HBO’s Watchmen series from Damon Lindelof.

Original article was published here.