Hollywood just found its heavy for one of 2028's most anticipated releases. John Leguizamo, fresh off scene-stealing buzz for The Odyssey, is stepping into Miami Vice '85 as the villain — and it's giving the franchise's return to the neon-soaked streets of South Florida a jolt of unpredictable energy. The casting comes as production ramps up on Kosinski's passion project, a film he's described as deeply personal to his own childhood love of the original series. Here's everything you need to know about the role, the reunion, and the growing ensemble around him.
Key Facts
- Leguizamo will play the villain in Universal's Miami Vice '85, TheWrap and The Hollywood Reporter confirmed.
- The film reunites him — in spirit — with the franchise that gave him his first-ever paid acting job back in 1986.
- Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler star as Tubbs and Crockett; filming begins later this year.
- Miami Vice '85 is scheduled to open in theaters on May 19, 2028.
Confirmed: Leguizamo Joins Miami Vice '85
The news broke on September 17, 2026, when The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Leguizamo had signed on to "play heavy" in Kosinski's period revival, with TheWrap quickly following with its own confirmation. Per the trade reports, Leguizamo — who's currently generating awards-season chatter for his performance in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey — will square off against Jordan and Butler's undercover detectives as the film's central antagonist. Universal has kept plot details close to the vest, so the character's name and exact role in the story haven't been revealed yet.
That's typical for a project this early in production. Casting announcements for Miami Vice '85 have trickled out one star at a time over the past several months, with the studio letting each name build its own headline rather than dropping a full cast list at once.
What We Know About the Role
Even without a character name attached, the casting makes sense on paper. Kosinski's film is explicitly styled as a period piece — inspired by the pilot episode and first season of the original 1984 series — meaning the villain will likely be rooted in the drug-trafficking underworld that defined Miami Vice's Reagan-era Florida setting. It's exactly the kind of morally slippery, scenery-chewing part Leguizamo has built a career on, from Carlito's Way to Spawn to his memorable turn as Mr. Scrooge in Violent Night.
One thing worth noting: this isn't his first time playing a heavy for this exact franchise.
Meet the Rest of the Miami Vice '85 Cast
Leguizamo is the latest addition to an ensemble that's been assembling for months under Joseph Kosinski's direction. Here's who else is confirmed:
- Michael B. Jordan as Detective Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs
- Austin Butler as Detective James "Sonny" Crockett
- Alden Ehrenreich, in an undisclosed role
- Whitney Peak, reportedly set to play a love interest for Jordan's Tubbs
- Camila Morrone, whose part is also being kept under wraps
- Danny Ramirez, joining shortly before his Avengers: Doomsday release
The project reunites Kosinski with longtime cinematographer Claudio Miranda and production designer Jeremy Hindle, both key collaborators on Top Gun: Maverick. Dan Gilroy wrote the screenplay, based on characters created by Anthony Yerkovich, with an earlier draft from Eric Warren Singer. Michael Mann, who executive produced the original series and directed 2006's film adaptation, is on board as an executive producer alongside Yerkovich. Dylan Clark is producing with Kosinski.
Leguizamo's History With the Original Miami Vice
Here's the detail turning this casting into a full-circle moment for longtime fans: Leguizamo's very first paid acting job was a guest spot on the original Miami Vice back in 1986 — and he played, of course, a villain.
"I was like nineteen years old. I looked like such a punk, being the villain of the episode, pretty ridiculous," Leguizamo recalled about the gig in a decades-old interview with Miami New Times. It's a detail that's easy to forget given how far he's come since — from Super Mario Bros. to Moulin Rouge! to his Emmy-winning solo stage work — but it means his casting in Kosinski's revival isn't just a job. It's a return to where it all started.
Why He Keeps Getting Cast as the Bad Guy
Leguizamo has played villains and morally gray characters across four decades — Benny Blanco in Carlito's Way, the demonic Clown in Spawn, Scrooge in Violent Night — and he's had complicated feelings about the pattern. "It's as if, because I'm a Latin man, I always have to play the villain or the aggressor or a perp," he told The Hollywood Reporter, reflecting on how often Hollywood has boxed him into those roles throughout his career.
At the same time, he's also been open about what draws him to those parts in the first place. "The villains are the most coveted roles in Hollywood," Leguizamo told Remezcla in 2022, while promoting Violent Night. "All the great actors have always come after these big roles because you get to be brutish, throw tantrums, and be rageful. And everybody thinks you're acting, but you're just letting off a lot of steam that you can't let off anywhere else."
Kosinski, for his part, has talked about the reboot as something close to autobiography. "Every other person who is my age, in 1985, when they were all looking at comic books or playing with Star Wars figures or Transformers toys, I was watching Miami Vice," the director told Collider, underscoring just how personal this project is to him.
When Will Miami Vice '85 Hit Theaters
Universal has set Miami Vice '85 for release on May 19, 2028. Filming is expected to begin later this year in New York and Miami, with Kosinski shooting the entire film in IMAX — a format he's used to major effect on both Top Gun: Maverick and F1.
Between Jordan and Butler's leading-man chemistry and Leguizamo's full-circle villain turn, Miami Vice '85 is shaping up to be one of the more intriguing franchise revivals on the horizon. Stay tuned to Bigwritehook for more updates as production kicks into gear.
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Sources: TheWrap · The Hollywood Reporter · Remezcla
