Ali (2001)

Ali is a 2001 American epic biographical sports drama film co-written, produced and directed by Michael Mann. The film focuses on ten years in the life of the boxer Muhammad Ali, played by Will Smith, beginning with his capture of the heavyweight title from Sonny Liston in 1964 and ending with his reclaiming the title from George Foreman in The Rumble in the Jungle fight of 1974.

The project began in 1992 when producer Paul Ardaji visited Ali on his 50th birthday and persuaded him to allow a new authorized biographical film to be made about his life. Ali had previously starred as himself in the 1977 film The Greatest, which was based on his autobiography of the same name and which covers a similar period of his life. Nearing the end of his option period, Ardaji signed a contract with Sony Pictures, joining forces with producer Jon Peters as producing partner. In February 2000, it was announced that Mann had taken over as a director, following his Academy Award nomination for The Insider. Filming began in Los Angeles on January 11, 2001, on a $105 million budget, shooting took place in New York City, Chicago, Miami, and Mozambique.

Ali was produced by Columbia Pictures, Peters Entertainment, Forward Pass and Overbrook Films and released by Sony Pictures Releasing in the United States and Canada and Initial Entertainment Group internationally on December 25, 2001. The film was well received by critics but was a box office failure, grossed over $87 million against a production budget of approximately $118 million. Will Smith and Jon Voight received Academy Award nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively.