Cinema & TV

“There doesn’t have to be another Muhammad Ali”: Michael Ealy and Ben Watkins on The Greatest at the London premiere

Sarah BradburySarah Bradbury

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“There doesn’t have to be another Muhammad Ali”: Michael Ealy and Ben Watkins on The Greatest at the London premiere

“There doesn’t have to be another Muhammad Ali”: Michael Ealy and Ben Watkins on The Greatest at the London premiere
“There doesn’t have to be another Muhammad Ali”: Michael Ealy and Ben Watkins on The Greatest at the London premiere

Few sporting legends have been portrayed on screen quite as often as Muhammad Ali, but new Prime Video series The Greatest promises a more intimate look at the man behind the myth. With unprecedented access to Ali’s family and friends, including his widow Lonnie Ali, who serves as executive producer, showrunner Ben Watkins hopes to reveal a side of the icon rarely seen before.

We caught up with Watkins and Michael Ealy, who takes on the unenviable task of portraying Malcolm X, at the London premiere to discuss finding the humanity behind two larger-than-life figures, stepping into the shoes of characters immortalised by the likes of Denzel Washington, and why Ali’s extraordinary combination of sporting prowess, activism and conviction has yet to be matched.

Sarah Bradbury

The Greatest is released on Prime Video on 4th November 2026.

Watch the trailer for The Greatest here: