John Leguizamo rolls up his blazer sleeves for villain role in Miami Vice '85

Leguizamo will play the cartel leader pursued by pastel enthusiasts Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler in the latest update of the seminal '80s series.

By Matt Schimkowitz  |  September 17, 2026 | 3:35pm
(Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)
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John Leguizamo rolls up his blazer sleeves for villain role in Miami Vice '85

Per Deadline, John Leguizamo can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord. The former Pest will be up to his old tricks, playing the villainous cartel leader in the latest reboot of Miami Vice. Directed by Top Gun: Maverick‘s Joseph Kosinski, Miami Vice ’85 stars Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler as Tubbs and Crockett in an update of the ’80s series’ seminal pilot episode. The film also stars Whitney Peak, Alden Ehrenreich, Camila Morrone and Danny Ramirez, with a script from Nightcrawler screenwriter Dan Gilroy. 

The original 1985 pilot for Miami Vice, entitled “Brother’s Keeper,” follows the coming together of Miami-Dade vice detectives Crockett (played by Don Johnson) and Tubbs (EGOT-coiner Philip Michael Thomas) as they attempt to set aside their differences and infiltrate a Colombian drug lord’s operation, while a mole within the department keeps outflanking them. 

The latest Miami Vice will see Butler and Tubbs take the blazers from Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx, who played the characters in the 2006 reboot. Speaking of which, director Michael Mann will screen a brand-new director’s cut of the film premiering at Beyond Fest. Despite Miami Vice‘s theatrical cut, with its media-res opening scene, being the best version of the film, Mann’s first director’s cut has been the primary version in circulation for the last two decades. 

Miami Vice ’85 will open on May 19, 2028.

 
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