Universal Pictures has confirmed Joseph Kosinski will direct a Miami Vice reboot set for release on August 6, 2027, returning the franchise to its 1980s Miami setting. Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler will star as Ricardo Tubbs and Sonny Crockett respectively. Filming begins in June with IMAX cameras.
The film, inspired by the pilot and first season, will explore the glamour and corruption of mid-1980s Miami. Dan Gilroy, who wrote Nightcrawler, penned the screenplay. Dylan Clark, producer of The Batman, is attached alongside Kosinski.
One question remains unanswered: which powerboats will appear.
Powerboat racing featured prominently in the original series. Season 1’s “The Great McCarthy” episode, which aired November 16, 1984, centred on Crockett and Tubbs infiltrating a powerboat race from Miami to Bimini used as cover for drug smuggling. The 10-minute race sequence, set to Steppenwolf’s “Born To Be Wild,” showcased multiple offshore boats competing in an intense chase.
The Chris-Craft Stinger 390 served as Crockett’s boat through Season 1 before Chris-Craft pulled support after scripts repeatedly mislabelled their boats as “cigarette boats.” From Season 2 onwards, the Wellcraft Scarab 38 KV became the show’s signature vessel, appearing in every opening sequence through 1989.
The 38-foot Scarab, powered by twin 440-horsepower Mercury inboards, reached 80 mph. Don Johnson had considerable input into the design, which featured over 130 turquoise, aqua and orchid hues matching Michael Mann’s strict pastel aesthetic.
Wellcraft sales increased 21 percent in a single year after the Scarab appeared on screen. The manufacturer built more than 100 “Miami Vice Edition” Scarabs, with boats selling for $130,000 in 1986.
Later in the series, a twin-engine Talon catamaran appeared in Season 4, Episode 21 “Mirror Image Part 2,” during the storyline where Crockett lost his memory and adopted his drug dealer cover identity Sonny Burnett. The smaller catamaran reflected the darker tone of the Burnett arc.
Johnson’s connection to powerboat racing extended beyond television. The actor won the 1988 American Power Boat Association Offshore World Cup in the Superboat class, earning the Top Driver award whilst competing against boat builders, wealthy entrepreneurs and fellow Hollywood stars including Kurt Russell and Chuck Norris.
Johnson’s first major victory came in 1986 when he won an 1,100-mile race up the Mississippi River. By November 1988 at the Key West World Championships, his second-place finishes in two races and Thursday’s victory gave him enough points to edge past Tom Gentry for the championship.
For 1989, Johnson commissioned Team USA, a 50-foot carbon fibre catamaran with four big-block Chevrolet engines producing 1,100 foot-pounds of torque each. The boat reached 149 mph in testing. Kurt Russell served as navigator, with Richie Powers on throttles.
The first time I turned it over, it broke every window in the shops along the water in Key West.
Johnson recalled of Team USA’s first engine start.
Johnson raced through 1991, when Miami Vice ended. His legitimate championship credentials brought unprecedented mainstream attention to offshore racing, with television cameras following Hollywood celebrities around the circuit.
Michael Mann’s 2006 film featured Colin Farrell as Crockett and Jamie Foxx as Tubbs, 20 years ago now. The production used a white MTI 40 R/P catamaran called “MOJO” powered by twin Mercury Racing 575 SCi engines. The boat appeared in the Cuba run sequence set to Moby’s “One of These Mornings.” The film’s Director’s Cut opened with a boat race scene paying homage to “The Great McCarthy” episode.
MOJO reached speeds exceeding 150 mph and sold at Barrett-Jackson’s 2025 Palm Beach Auction.
Kosinski’s reboot now faces decisions about which boats to feature. The director’s use of IMAX cameras suggests high-speed boat sequences will receive the same large-format treatment he applied to Formula One racing in F1 and naval aviation in Top Gun: Maverick.
Setting the film in the mid-1980s suggests period-correct offshore boats. The Wellcraft Scarab 38 KV remains the obvious choice, though sourcing authentic 1980s examples presents challenges. Several Miami Vice Scarabs have been restored by enthusiasts, including the original filming boat with Universal Studios certification.
The production team has not announced which marine coordinator or boat supplier will handle the film. That answer will emerge as filming begins in June.
John Moore’s involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
