Michael Irby Cast In Universal’s ‘Miami Vice ’85’ As Lt. Lou Rodriguez

EXCLUSIVE: The cast of Universal’s Miami Vice ’85 continues to expand with Michael Irby (Mayans M.C., Barry) joining the fold. Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler lead the film as Ricardo Tubbs and Sonny Crockett, respectively. Alden Ehrenreich, Whitney Peak, Camila Morrone, John Leguizamo, Danny Ramirez and Walton Goggins also star.

Irby will play Lt. Lou Rodriguez, sources close to production reveal. The original character in the hit NBC series Miami Vice, who was boss of Metro-Dade Police Department’s Organized Crime Bureau, Vice Division, was played by Gregory Sierra. Rodriguez was killed off after four episodes at Sierra’s request to be written out because he didn’t want to move to Miami. His exit made way for Edward James Olmos to take the reins as Lt. Martin Castillo, beginning in Episode 6 of the crime drama’s freshman season.

The feature puts Irby on the opposite side of the law from his roles in FX’s Mayans M.C. and HBO’s Barry, where he played President of the Mayans Motor Cycle Club Obispo “Bishop” Losa and Bolivian mob boss Cristobal Sifuentes, respectively.

From screenwriter Dan Gilroy and director Joseph Kosinski, Miami Vice ’85 explores the glamour and corruption of mid-1980s Miami in an all-new version of Miami Vice. The film is inspired by the pilot episode of the 1984-90 NBC series, titled “Brother’s Keeper,” which aired on September 16, 1984.

Written by series creator Anthony Yerkovich and executive produced by Michael Mann, the two-hour series premiere of Miami Vice introduced the world to Vice cop Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) and New York detective Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas), who are brought together by destiny, though they do not really vibe at first. They eventually become partners, but first they investigate Colombian drug lord Calderone (Miguel Piñero), the show’s main antagonist across Season 1.

In the episode, it’s revealed why Crockett and Tubbs have beef that runs deep with Calderone. For Tubbs, he’s visiting SoFla seeking revenge for his slain brother, who was taken down after the cartel leader put out a hit on his life. Crockett also has reason to want Calderone off the streets: the crime boss killed the former’s partner Eddie Rivera (Jimmy Smits) early in the pilot. Despite first appearances, Crockett and Tubbs decide they want to work together, taking down bad guys in the Magic City and having some fun in between.

Aside from the Crockett and Tubbs intro, the episode is famously known for a driving scene where the duo is in Crockett’s black Ferrari Daytona Spyder while listening to Phil Collins’ song In the Air Tonight.

Also notable, though not from this episode, Leguizamo portrayed Calderone’s son Orlando twice in the series. Leguizamo will also star in Miami Vice ’85, though it is as yet unknown if he will reprise the role.

The movie will be filmed for Imax and is set for release on May 19, 2028. Production will begin this year.

Miami Vice ’85 is being produced by Dylan Clark/Dylan Clark Productions (The Batman, The Penguin) and Kosinski (F1). Gilroy is writing the script, based on characters created by Yerkovich from the series executive produced by Yerkovich and Mann. Eric Warren Singer wrote an earlier draft of the screenplay.

Irby is represented by Independent Artist Group and Coronel Group.