Will Packer executive produces Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, which has an all-star cast, including Terrence Howard as Cadillac Richie. New episodes of the show are released Thursdays through October 10, only on Peacock.
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, based on the acclaimed iHeart true-crime podcast, follows the infamous story of how an armed robbery on the night of Muhammad Ali’s historic 1970 comeback fight changed not only one man’s life but ultimately transformed Atlanta into the “Black Mecca.” When a hustler named Chicken Man (Kevin Hart) hosts an afterparty to celebrate the fight with a guest list of the country’s wealthiest, the night ends with the most brazen criminal underworld heist in Atlanta’s history. Suspected of masterminding the crime, Chicken Man is hellbent on clearing his name but must convince his old adversary, J.D. Hudson (Don Cheadle), one of the first Black detectives in the city’s desegregated police force, who is tasked with bringing those responsible to justice.
“This team, I think that it goes without saying that they would all welcome the opportunity to work together again. They’ve all said that, made it very, very clear how much fun they had. You have to do that and sometimes as a producer, whose job it is to make sure that you are managing all the various pieces and talent from the writers, directors to, of course, my on-screen talent, sometimes you wonder about that mesh and that chemistry. It was incredible. It was really strong and I think you can see that,” Packer expressed. “I think, when you have a project and the chemistry is real that it does come across because viewers have so many choices now, they want something that authentically feels, even if they’re characters that are at odds with each other, they want to feel like it’s an ensemble. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some ensemble casts, but it’s an ensemble that actually really had true chemistry and charisma together.”
Terrence shared, “When you have a plethora of information and a rich history associated with the crime family or their need to survive, the hustle, all of that, and then you have it well laid out, well organized with the individuals involved, it makes it so much easier to pick and create the character. So all of that stuff added to it.”
We discussed how the true-crime podcast led to the series getting made, using the source material, and what they learned from the project.
Watch my interview below:
