Michael B. Jordan was one of the closing acts at Amazon’s upfront presentation for advertisers at New York’s Beacon Theater on Monday. And this particular appearance wasn’t so much about the Oscar winner’s next big acting job as it was about his growing role as a producer.
Towards the end of the event, Jordan revealed details of three TV shows in the works for Prime Video, including the Muhammad Ali biographical series “The Greatest,” “Creed” spinoff “Delphi,” and “The Fourth Wing.”
Jordan was introduced by Amazon’s head of television Peter Friedlander and head of film Courtenay Valenti, who touted the studio’s “growing relationship” with Jordan and Outlier Society, a young production company run by president Elizabeth Raposo.
The “Sinners” star then took to the stage to talk about his passion for telling the boxing legend’s story in his new show “The Greatest,” which is the first project about Ali’s life to be approved by his estate. Created by Ben Watkins, the show follows Ali from his roots as Cassius Clay to his iconic career, which was consulted by Ali’s late wife Ronnie Ali. Ali joined Jordan to talk about the project, his faith in Jordan and his team, and finding young actor Jalen Best to play the lead role. Jordan brought Best out on stage and then performed a short sizzle reel teasing “The Greatest.”
Next up is “Delphi,” which Jordan co-produced with frequent collaborator Ryan Coogler. Jordan recalled when Coogler first asked him to play Adonis Creed, the son of the iconic Rocky character Apollo Creed. Jordan then announced that “Delphi” would begin production on May 18 in Los Angeles, bringing out showrunner Marco Ramirez.
And last but not least, Jordan announced that a television series adaptation of author Rebecca Yaross’ best-selling romance The Fourth Wing has been ordered. Jordan’s Outlier Society acquired the rights to The Empyrean series of books and brought them to Amazon, where they have been in development ever since, before Jarosz published his first novel, Fourth Wing, in May 2023. Now, with Yarosz and Jordan serving as executive producers, and showrunner Meredith Averill and Westworld’s Lisa Joy (who directed the first episode) all on stage, the Fourth Wing TV series is ready to move forward.
