The Greatest is a 2026 biographical sports drama series about boxing legend Muhammad Ali. It was created by Ben Watkins, who is also the showrunner and directed the first two episodes. Jaalen Best plays Ali, with Omari Hardwick, Dana Gourrier, Kai Parham, Amin Joseph, Giovanni Ribisi and Michael Ealy in the cast.
The story follows Ali from Louisville to the world stage, but the crew shot it in Ontario, Canada, using Cobourg, Cambridge, Hamilton and Toronto to look like 1950s and 1960s America. If you like true stories, you can find more in our history section and across our Canada collection.
The series follows Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Clay, from his early boxing days to his rise as a world champion. It also shows the man outside the ring, as a son, brother, husband and father, and how his faith, family and beliefs shaped his choices. It is the first scripted series about Ali’s life made with the full authorization of his estate, according to Rolling Out.
The Greatest premieres on November 4, 2026. All eight episodes arrive on the same day.
The series streams on Prime Video and is made by Amazon MGM Studios with Outlier Society, Blue Monday Productions, Roc Nation and others, as listed on Wikipedia. Lonnie Ali, Ali’s widow, and Michael B. Jordan are executive producers. Fans of the platform can find more shows in our Prime Video section.
Table of Contents
When and Where Was The Greatest Filmed?
| Series Name | The Greatest |
|---|---|
| Genres | Biography, Sports, Drama |
| Filming Locations | Cobourg, Cambridge, Hamilton and Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Filming Dates | April 21, 2025 to July 22, 2025 (reported) |
| Cinematography by | Stuart Campbell, Jeremy Benning |
| Release Date | November 4, 2026 |
Hollywood North Buzz reported that production ran from April 21 to July 22, 2025, based in Toronto. Amazon has not shared official dates, so please treat them as reports. kawarthaNOW notes the Toronto-area permit ran even longer, up to August 31, 2025. Town notices show the crew in Cobourg in April and again in July, and in Cambridge from late May to early June. We could not confirm who handled the cinematography, and we will add it as soon as it is credited.
📍Cobourg, Ontario
Cobourg is a lakeside town east of Toronto. The town’s notice, as covered by kawarthaNOW, said the crew would be here from April 21 to May 2, 2025. King Street between Third and Hibernia was dressed up with new storefronts and windows, and an American flag and bunting were hung outside Victoria Hall.
The main downtown day was April 30, with a parade scene along King Street, and the James Cockburn Room inside Victoria Hall was also used. The production hired about 200 Canadian background actors and about 150 Canadian crew members, and a private house in the east end was used on April 28 and 29.
The crew came back on July 8, 2025, this time to the waterfront. The Town of Cobourg named Cobourg Beach and Willmott Street, between Normar Road and Thompson Street, for that day. Today’s Northumberland wrote that the beach was made to look like Miami Beach, complete with palm trees. That fits the story, because Ali won his first heavyweight title in Miami Beach in 1964.
Visiting: King Street and the beach are public places, so you can walk around freely. Victoria Hall is a town building, so please check its opening hours.
📍Galt Arena Gardens and Shade Street, Cambridge
Address: 98 Shade St, Cambridge, ON N1R 4J7, Canada
Cambridge is a city in Waterloo Region, and its Galt area has old streets that suit a period drama. The City of Cambridge said “The Greatest” would film from May 26 to June 4, 2025.
The notice named Galt Arena Gardens, where the locker rooms were used during the day, and Shade Street, between Dundas Street North and Kerr Street, where night scenes were shot outside. A locker room is an easy way to build a boxing story, so this location makes sense. The arena is a working community venue, so please check before visiting.
📍Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority Building, Hamilton
The Art Deco Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority building in Hamilton’s North End was used in July 2025, according to Wikipedia, which does not name a source for that date. One location list gives its address as 605 James Street North, but we could not confirm the address from an official source.
Other Hamilton places, including Ottawa Street North, the Scottish Rite building and Laidlaw Memorial United Church, appear in the same list. We could only find them in that one report, so please treat them as unconfirmed. If you want to see how Hamilton looks on screen in a lighter story, take a look at our guide to Pumpkin Regatta Romance, which was filmed in Hamilton and Dundas.
📍Toronto, Ontario
Toronto was the production base, and the crew’s permits covered the Toronto area through the spring and summer of 2025. Toronto is a common stand-in for American cities, which helped the show recreate Ali’s world without shooting everything in the U.S. No studio or exact Toronto street has been named, so we cannot point to one place yet.
Other Places You See on Screen
The trailer and promo images show landmarks such as Big Ben in London, the Colosseum in Rome and the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge in Louisville. These are reported as on-screen backdrops that set the story in different places and years, for example Ali’s 1960 Olympic gold in Rome.
The Greatest Behind the Scenes
To make your search for The Greatest filming even more interesting, here is a fun fact from the Cobourg shoot. For the July 8 beach scene, the production painted two lifeguard towers, numbers 3 and 4, to match the look of Miami Beach, and agreed to restore them to their original state afterward, as reported by Today’s Northumberland on July 9, 2025.
We could not find Instagram posts from the shoot itself, but here are the posts from the cast that give a look at the making of the series, in the order they were shared:
Jaalen Best announced his role as Ali in a post on July 11, 2024. He called it “a complete honor and privilege” to play “a hero of mine.”
Jaalen Best shared photos from the Amazon Upfronts on May 17, 2026, thanking his castmates, showrunner Ben Watkins and the team. He spoke on stage alongside Lonnie Ali and Michael B. Jordan.
Amin Joseph, who plays Sonny Liston, posted a note about his role on October 10, 2026, saying that stepping into Liston’s shoes “meant learning those terms.”
The dates come from the posts’ data, so please check them on Instagram if you need exact days. We will add set photos here as soon as the cast and crew share them.
Is There Any Trailer Available for The Greatest?
Yes, the official trailer is available. Prime Video released it on October 14, 2026, after a first teaser in July that announced the premiere date.
The trailer was released by Prime Video on its official YouTube channel. The series premieres on November 4, 2026, and it is available on Prime Video only.
FAQs
Q1: Where was The Greatest filmed?
A1: The Greatest was filmed in Ontario, Canada, in Cobourg, Cambridge, Hamilton and Toronto.
Q2: When was The Greatest filmed?
A2: Filming reportedly ran from April 21 to July 22, 2025. Amazon has not shared official dates.
Q3: Was The Greatest filmed in Louisville?
A3: No. Louisville scenes were filmed in Ontario, and the exact stand-in streets have not been confirmed.
Q4: Which location was dressed as Miami Beach?
A4: Cobourg Beach was made to look like Miami Beach for a scene filmed on July 8, 2025.
Q5: Can I visit the filming locations?
A5: Yes, public places like King Street and Cobourg Beach are open. Venues such as Galt Arena Gardens and Victoria Hall may have limited hours.
Q6: When and where can I watch The Greatest?
A6: All eight episodes arrive on Prime Video on November 4, 2026.
The Greatest turns the streets and beaches of Ontario into the world of a boxing legend. Cobourg, Cambridge and Hamilton each added a piece of the period look, while Toronto kept the production running. Many exact scenes are still unconfirmed, and we will update this guide as more details come out. If you enjoy a good drama, take a look at our series section, and check back soon for more filming-location guides.
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