Michael Irby Joins Miami Vice '85 as Lt. Lou Rodriguez
Michael Irby has joined Universal's Miami Vice '85 as Lt. Lou Rodriguez, the vice squad boss from the earliest days of the original television series, as reported by Deadline.
Irby steps into a role first played by Gregory Sierra on NBC's Miami Vice. Rodriguez ran the Metro-Dade Police Department's Organized Crime Bureau, Vice Division. He was the first commanding officer for undercover detectives Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs.
In the new film, Austin Butler stars as Crockett and Michael B. Jordan stars as Tubbs. The ensemble also includes Alden Ehrenreich, Whitney Peak, Camila Morrone, John Leguizamo, Danny Ramirez and Walton Goggins, according to Deadline.
Rodriguez did not last long on television. Sierra left after four episodes at his own request because he did not want to move to Miami for production. Edward James Olmos then took over as a new boss, Lt. Martin Castillo, from episode six of the first season.
Irby arrives with a long record in crime dramas. He played Obispo "Bishop" Losa, the motorcycle club president, in FX's Mayans M.C. He also played Cristobal Sifuentes, a quiet cartel associate, in HBO's Barry.
The film is directed by Joseph Kosinski and written by Dan Gilroy. It is produced by Dylan Clark and Dylan Clark Productions alongside Kosinski. It takes its inspiration from "Brother's Keeper," the pilot episode that aired on 16 September 1984 and introduced Crockett and Tubbs.
It will be filmed for Imax, the extra-large screen format, and is set for a theatre release on 19 May 2028, according to Deadline.
What makes this stand out for fans of the old show is the sense of a full circle. Leguizamo appeared twice in the original series as Orlando, the son of drug trafficker Calderone. Now he returns in a new role alongside Irby's Rodriguez, bringing a favourite from the 1980s back to the squad room in a new form.
