You’ve got to laugh at the timing sometimes. One weekend, Sinners storms the box office, pulling off a historic second weekend that reminds everyone original cinema isn’t dead. And the next thing you know, Hollywood’s already dusting off Miami Vice for another reboot.
It’s like they’re allergic to learning the right lesson.
I don’t want to rag on Joseph Kosinski. Honestly, I love the guy’s work. Top Gun: Maverick was one of the best crowd-pleasers in years, and even back in 2010, Tron: Legacy had this sleek, cold, digital beauty to it that’s aged better than anyone expected. The man knows how to craft atmosphere. He knows how to make a movie feel big. He’s the kind of director you want doing something ambitious, something daring.
Which is why it’s so weird—so frustrating—to see him get tethered to Miami Vice of all things. A reboot of a property that, if we’re being brutally honest, isn’t exactly screaming out for a revival.
Because here’s the thing: even the 2006 Miami Vice movie had a great director. Michael Mann, the man behind Heat, Collateral, The Insider. And the 2006 film? It’s good. Actually, it’s better than most people gave it credit for at the time. The cinematography? Unbelievable. The nighttime shootout? One of the best gunfights ever put on screen. The soundtrack? Moody, grimy, perfect.
I love Miami Vice (2006) because it feels like a companion piece to Collateral—that same sleek, digital, almost alien Los Angeles/Miami vibe where everything feels beautiful and dangerous at once. It’s not a movie that holds your hand. It’s not a movie that gives you crowd-pleasing moments every five minutes. It’s icy, brooding, and for the right viewer, deeply rewarding.
But let’s not kid ourselves. It wasn’t a hit. Critics were mixed. Audiences didn’t really get it. Over time, it’s picked up a small cult following—people like me, who admire what Mann was doing—but it’s not a touchstone. It’s not Heat. It’s not even Collateral. It’s just… there. A fascinating, flawed curiosity that never quite landed with the wider world.
So why in the world is Universal rebooting it now?
It’s not like Miami Vice the TV show has suddenly had a renaissance. There’s no groundswell of public demand for pastel blazers, sockless loafers, and Phil Collins needle drops. If anything, we’re in the middle of a 90s nostalgia boom, not an 80s one. Miami Vice isn’t riding a wave; it’s just a recognizable name executives can circle in a meeting when they’re desperate for something familiar.
And that’s the real problem, isn’t it? Hollywood keeps defaulting to what’s easy. Reboots, remakes, reimaginings—because they’re “safe.” Because they’re “proven.” Because they can lean on brand recognition and not have to take a risk on something new. Even when all the evidence, week after week, movie after movie, keeps screaming that audiences will show up for something original if you just bother to make it good.
Sinners proved it. No IP, no comic book universe, no recycled brand loyalty—just a bold, new story told with passion, style, and conviction. And people flocked to it. They didn’t need to know what toy line it was based on. They didn’t need to have seen 17 other movies first. They just needed a reason to care.
That’s the kind of momentum Hollywood should be chasing right now. Not rushing back to the same old properties that barely made a dent the last time they tried.
And it stings a little extra with someone like Kosinski, because he’s the kind of director who can build new worlds. Look at Oblivion (2013), a gorgeously crafted sci-fi film based on a graphic novel Kosinski himself helped create. It wasn’t a reboot. It wasn’t a sequel. It was an original vision, risky and haunting and beautiful, even if it didn’t set the box office on fire. That’s the Kosinski I want to see unleashed. Not the guy holding the steering wheel of a rebooted speedboat because someone higher up decided Miami Vice still had some juice left in it.
We’re standing on the edge of what could be another golden age of original storytelling. You can feel it. You can see flashes of it. But every time a major studio announces another Miami Vice or Smurfs reboot, it’s like they’re slamming the brakes just when they should be hitting the gas.
I’m not saying a Miami Vice reboot can’t be good. With Kosinski in charge, it’ll probably look amazing. It might even be a fun ride. But man, what a missed opportunity. What a frustrating reminder that Hollywood’s instincts are still stuck in the past.
Original stories aren’t just worth the risk — they’re the future. Sinners is proof. The audience is ready. The question is whether Hollywood is brave enough to listen.
Hollywood After Dark 