Sope Dirisu to Star as 'Cassius Clay' in ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI at Donmar Warehouse

Just weeks after Muhammad Ali's death on June 3, The Daily Mail writes that Sope Dirisu will portray the iconic boxer in Kemp Powers's play ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI at the Donmar Warehouse this autumn.

Dirisu will play Cassius Clay - Ali's name before he joined the Nation of Islam -in the drama, which imagines the boxer in a hotel room with activist Malcolm X (played by Francois Battiste), singer Sam Cooke (played by Arinze Kene) and actor Jim Brown (played by David Ajala) following Clay's victory over Sonny Liston in 1964.

Kwame Kwei-Armah is set to direct the UK premiere, which begins performances October 6.

Dirisu took the stage in several productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company before training with the National Youth Theatre and going on to appear in the TV series UNDERCOVER, SIBLINGS, HUMANS, UTOPIA and THE MILL, as well as the miniseries adaptation of J.K. Rowling's THE CASUAL VACANCY. His film credits include SAND CASTLE, CRIMINAL and THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER'S WAR.

Photo Credit: Paul Smith