Miami Vice Is Heading Towards The Big Screen

Classic 1980s police show Miami Vice is to be turned into a movie, reports Variety.

The popular series, which starred Don Johnson as Armani-clad undercover cop Sonny Crockett, will be made into a film by Universal Pictures and director Michael Mann.

Mann, who was an executive producer on the show before moving on to directing, will write the film script and produce the movie. He may also direct it.

It is expected the film will keep the show's geographical location and the well-known theme tune. But it may not copy the same characters.

Mann, who directed Ali and The Insider, is likely to create a contemporary crime-detective novel set in Miami.

Miami Vice, which began in 1984, revolved around detectives Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs - played by Philip Michael Thomas.

The pair starred as troubled undercover vice cops who wore designer suits, drove flash cars and romanced attractive women as they fought drug dealers.

The idea was to throw together two cops from different backgrounds and with different attitudes.

Tubbs was a street smart detective from New York while Crockett was a tough guy from the American South who had severe guilt about his ex-wife and son.

The show featured guest stars such as Bruce Willis during its first season, while actors Chris Rock and Liam Neeson also appeared in the series.