‘One Night in Miami…’ Has Confirmed Category Placements for their Cast

Amazon Studios today answered one of the remaining awards season questions as they confirmed how the four main actors in Regina King’s directorial debut, One Night in Miami…, will be submitted for awards consideration. Much like Netflix’s big awards contender, The Trial of the Chicago 7, One Night in Miami… is an ensemble piece, which left critics to ponder who might go for lead and who for supporting as the awards race moves forward. 

In King’s beautifully-done debut, One Night in Miami… tells of a fictional meeting between four of black America’s greatest historical figures during the height of the Civil Rights movement in 1964. 

In the case of The Trial of the Chicago 7, Netflix chose the egalitarian route, confirming every actor would be submitted in the supporting category. One Night in Miami…, however, has chosen to break it down more evenly, two-and-two. Amazon will campaign Kingsley Ben-Adir, who plays Malcolm X, and Eli Goree, who plays Cassius Clay, as Best Actor, while Aldis Hodge, who plays Jim Brown and Leslie Odom, Jr,, who plays Sam Cooke, will be competing in the supporting category.

The category conundrum is usually a lightning rod for studios. While actors gain more attention for being considered a lead, there is generally-speaking more competition in that category, especially in a year that already is seeming to be favoring both Gary Oldman from Mank and Anthony Hopkins in The Father as the clear front-runners. Still, the push for consideration for Best Actor for both Ben-Adir and Goree will be significant for the two actors who are not as well-known as their supporting counterparts. In a year when anything and everything has happened, it’s not farfetched to see a major upset happen and Amazon might have just positioned themselves for a knockout.

One Night in Miami… opens in theaters on December 25 and will be released on Prime Video on January 15. See the full story in The Hollywood Reporter here.