ATLANTA — This past weekend, ONE/35 Agency hosted and moderated an exclusive screening and roundtable discussion at Atlanta’s Regal Cinema in Atlantic Station, Midtown for the new Peacock original series “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist.” The series stars Kevin Hart (co-executive producer), Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard, Samuel L. Jackson and Don Cheadle.
The show was created, written and executive produced by Shanye Ogbonna, who is also known for the award-winning television series ‘The Chi.’ It is executive produced by Will Packer, known for films such as “Ride Along,” “Stomp the Yard” and “Think Like a Man.” Packer is also a Florida A&M University alumnus who graduated with a degree in electrical engineering. He received the Meritorious Achievement Award from FAMU.
In 2021, FAMU dedicated and officially opened the Will Packer Performing Arts Amphitheater. He also received an honorary degree from Savannah College of Art and Design, recognizing his work as a leading industry and community leader.
This series is based on the acclaimed iHeart true-crime podcast about 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 also transformed Atlanta into the “Black Mecca.”
When asked how they replicated and portrayed such a historic event, Ogbonna responded, “I think it was important to a lot of people, like our production designer Toni Barton; people studied this. She really wanted to get the sets and everything to have a certain feel, to look a certain way.”
“Our talent, our cast all took it very seriously. They studied their characters; they wanted to make sure they sounded a certain way. So, people were really invested and wanted to make sure it was done the right way.”
During the roundtable discussion, Will Packer and others were asked whether there was any intentional effort in hiring and utilizing talent from HBCUs.
“When you are on a Will Packer set, you know you are on a Will Packer set. We wanted the best; make no mistake, we wanted the best, period,” Packer said.
He emphasized the importance of having a diverse and inclusive film set, particularly for this series.
“What other people miss sometimes is that when you talk about diversity, you talk about making sure you’re being inclusive.” Packer said. “They forget that there is an opportunity to have the best people who also happen to be diverse.”
Dianne Ashford, a producer on the series and also a Florida A&M alumna, shared her thoughts on the topic.
“It wasn’t necessarily about looking for HBCU people; we were looking for the best My job and my responsibility, having worked with Will Packer for many years, was to ensure we had a very diverse crew,” Ashford said.
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist is set to premiere on September 5, 2024, exclusively on Peacock.