Muhammad Ali, a new four-part documentary directed by acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns, will air on PBS September 19-22, 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET. The new series, which was in development for six years, was also written and co-directed by Sarah Burns and David McMahon, whose previous collaborations with Burns include The Central Park Five (2012), Jackie Robinson (2016) and East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story (2020). Ken Burns Muhammad Ali
The film follows the life of one of the most consequential men of the 20th century, a three-time heavyweight boxing champion who captivated billions of fans with his combination of speed, agility and power in the ring, and his charm, wit and outspokenness outside of it. At the height of his fame, Ali challenged Americans’ racial prejudices, religious biases, and notions about what roles celebrities and athletes play in our society, and inspired people all over the world with his message of pride and self-affirmation.
“Muhammad Ali was the very best at what he did,” said Ken Burns. “He was arguably America’s greatest athlete, and his unflinching insistence that he be unabashedly himself at all times made him a beacon for generations of people around the world seeking to express their own humanity.” Burns also explored the life of the first African American heavyweight champion, Jack Johnson, in his 2004 film Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise And Fall Of Jack Johnson.
Leading up to the September broadcast, Burns will join PBS and The Undefeated, ESPN’s multimedia platform exploring the intersection of sports, race and culture, to hold a series of insightful conversations about sports and race in America. The virtual events will feature sports and entertainment figures, scholars and writers, preview clips from the film, and examine Ali’s life and career in the context of America—and the world—today. PBS LearningMedia will also build out full educational materials focusing on the intersection of race and sports in 20th century America to support the film.
“Muhammad Ali remains one of the most iconic figures in American history. He has been studied and modeled and quoted extensively, and his life’s story is central to understanding the modern Black athlete and this period of activism and social change that The Undefeated has been privileged to chronicle,” said Raina Kelley, Vice President and Editor-in-Chief of ESPN’s The Undefeated. “We are proud to collaborate with PBS and Ken Burns to host this exciting conversation series on the meaning of Ali and his lasting legacy.”
Ali’s death in June 2016 coincidentally came just weeks after the launch of The Undefeated, and his life, legacy and impact have been a defining theme for its coverage of the intersection of race, sports and culture in America. Utilizing both its own staff writers and a lengthy roster of historians and authors, the site has hosted a wide range of historical analysis on the complex threads of Ali’s life, as well as reporting on the outsized influence he has had on current debates about the role of the Black athlete and activist in the American story. Fittingly, his story is also a cornerstone of The Undefeated’s best-selling young adult book, The Fierce 44: Black Americans Who Shook Up the World.
Indicative of Florentine Films productions, Muhammad Ali pulled from an accomplished group of historians, writers and other topic experts provided for input on the script and film. the film also draws from an extraordinary trove of archival footage and photographs, contemporary music, and the insights and memories of eyewitnesses—including family and friends, journalists, boxers and historians, among others—Burns, Burns and McMahon have created a sweeping portrait of an American icon. The series details the story of the athlete who called himself—and was considered by many to be— “the greatest of all time” and competed in some of the most dramatic and widely viewed sporting events ever, including “The Fight of the Century” and “The Thrilla in Manila,” both against his great rival Joe Frazier, and “The Rumble in the Jungle,” in which he defeated George Foreman to regain the heavyweight title that was stripped from him seven years earlier. Muhammad Ali also captures Ali’s principled resistance to the Vietnam War, his steadfast commitment to his Muslim faith, and his complex relationships with Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X, who profoundly shaped his life and worldview.
The film also includes interviews with Ali’s daughters Hana Ali and Rasheda Ali, his second wife Khalilah Ali, his third wife Veronica Porche, and his brother and confidant Rahaman Ali. Others appearing in the film include activist and former basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, boxing promoter Bob Arum, childhood friend Vic Bender, former heavyweight boxing champion and playwright Michael Bentt, author Todd Boyd, sportswriter Howard Bryant, law professor and co-founder of the Weather Underground Bernardine Dohrn, historian Gerald Early, journalist and Ali biographer Jonathan Eig, poet and activist Nikki Giovanni, former heavyweight champion Larry Holmes, boxing promoter Don King, novelist Walter Mosley, Nigerian poet and playwright Wole Soyinka, writer Gay Talese, writer Quincy Troupe, sportswriter Dave Zirin and more.
Muhammad Ali is a production of Florentine Films and WETA Washington, D.C. The film was directed and executive produced by Ken Burns, directed, written and produced by Sarah Burns and David McMahon, produced by Stephanie Jenkins (The Central Park Five), co-produced by Tim McAleer (East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story) and associate produced by Joe Siegal (Whitney: Can I Be Me). Akia Thorpe was the production coordinator. The film is narrated by Keith David (Jazz). Buddy Squires was the cinematographer. Original music was provided by Jahlil Beats. The executive in charge for WETA is John F. Wilson.
Muhammad Ali will be available to stream for free on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video App, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV and Chromecast. PBS station members can view the documentary via PBS Passport, as part of a full collection of Ken Burns films. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website.
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