Ali (film)

Ali
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Michael Mann
Screenplay by	Michael Mann Eric Roth Stephen J. Rivele Christopher Wilkinson
Story by	Gregory Allen Howard
Produced by	Jon Peters Michael Mann James Lassiter Paul Ardaji A. Kitman Ho
Starring	Will Smith Jamie Foxx Jon Voight Mario Van Peebles Ron Silver Jeffrey Wright Mykelti Williamson
Cinematography	Emmanuel Lubezki
Edited by	William Goldenberg Lynzee Klingman Stephen E. Rivkin Stuart Waks
Music by	Pieter Bourke Lisa Gerrard
Production companies	Columbia Pictures Peters Entertainment Forward Pass Overbrook Films
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Releasing (United States and Canada) Initial Entertainment Group (International)
Release date	December 25, 2001 (2001-12-25)
Running time	159 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$107–118 million[1][2]
Box office	$87.7 million[1]

Ali is a 2001 American 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, from 1964 to 1974, featuring his capture of the heavyweight title from Sonny Liston, his conversion to Islam, criticism of the Vietnam War, and banishment from boxing, his return to fight Joe Frazier in 1971, and, finally, his reclaiming the title from George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle fight of 1974. It also touches on the great social and political upheaval in the United States following the assassinations of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.

The project began in 1992 when producer Paul Ardaji optioned the movie rights to Muhammad Ali's life story. In 1992, Ardaji visited Ali on his 50th birthday and persuaded him to allow a film to be made about 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 well received by critics, but was a box-office bomb, grossing just $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.