Whitney Peak Joins Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler in ‘Miami Vice ’85’

Whitney Peak has joined the cast of Miami Vice ’85, Universal Pictures’ upcoming crime thriller from director Joseph Kosinski. She will star alongside Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler, who lead the new film adaptation of the beloved 1980s television series.

The movie will offer a fresh take on the Miami Vice franchise while returning to the decade that defined the original series. Dan Gilroy wrote the screenplay, while Kosinski, the filmmaker behind Top Gun: Maverick and F1, will direct.

Peak adds another rising star to an already high-profile cast. She has built a strong résumé through roles in Gossip Girl, Hocus Pocus 2 and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Her casting further strengthens the film’s lineup as Universal prepares to bring the classic property back to theaters.

Jordan and Butler will play the undercover detectives at the center of the story. Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas originally made those characters famous in NBC’s Miami Vice, which ran from 1984 to 1990.

The original series became a cultural phenomenon thanks to its bold visual style, influential fashion and memorable music. It also captured the atmosphere of 1980s Miami and helped redefine the look and feel of television crime dramas.

By calling the new movie Miami Vice ’85, Kosinski appears to be leaning heavily into that period. The project will revisit the franchise’s 1980s setting rather than follow the approach of Michael Mann’s 2006 feature adaptation, which starred Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx.

Kosinski will direct the film from Gilroy’s screenplay. The filmmaker has established himself as a major force in large-scale action cinema, particularly with Top Gun: Maverick and F1.

Top Gun: Maverick showcased Kosinski’s ability to combine character-focused storytelling with large-scale action and striking cinematography. That approach could give Miami Vice ’85 a modern visual identity while preserving the crime and undercover elements that defined the original series.

Universal will look to Kosinski to give the classic franchise a fresh cinematic identity. At the same time, the filmmaker will have to preserve the style and atmosphere that made Miami Vice such an enduring property.

Universal currently plans to release Miami Vice ’85 in theaters on May 19, 2028.

The studio has not revealed Peak’s character or announced the rest of the supporting cast. Plot details also remain under wraps, while Universal has yet to release a trailer or announce major production updates.

Still, the combination of Whitney Peak, Michael B. Jordan, Austin Butler and Joseph Kosinski gives Miami Vice ’85 plenty of star power. As production moves forward, the film will look to turn one of television’s most recognizable crime franchises into a major new theatrical action thriller.