John Leguizamo Confirms His MIAMI VICE ’85 Villain Has a 40-Year Connection to the Original Series

John Leguizamo is returning to the Miami Vicefranchise, and his role in director Joseph Kosinski’s upcoming Miami Vice ’85 has a pretty awesome connection to the original TV series. The actor recently confirmed that he’s playing a character whose history goes all the way back to his first acting gig nearly 40 years ago.

The upcoming Miami Vice movie has already been getting plenty of attention, thanks to early looks at Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler sporting their slick 1980s styles as Ricardo Tubbs and Sonny Crockett. Kosinski, who directed Top Gun: Maverick, F1: The Movie, and Tron: Legacy, seems like a great choice to bring the classic crime drama back to the big screen.

Leguizamo is joining the film as one of its villains, and it turns out he's playing Esteban Calderone, a character with some serious history in the franchise.

During a recent interview promoting his upcoming Audible sci-fi thriller Exoplanet, Leguizamo showed up sporting a thick, Tom Selleck-style mustache. When asked whether the facial hair was for Miami Vice ’85, he confirmed it and shared the surprising connection between his new role and the character he played back in 1986.

“Yeah, the ‘stache is for that ’85 look, you know, I am so thrilled to be in this full-circle moment, because, you know, when I started as a young man, my first acting gig, my first paycheck was Miami Vice in 1986. I played the character I’m playing now, his son, to avenge his father’s death, and now I’m playing the father, you know, 40-odd years later.”

That's a fantastic piece of casting, especially for longtime fans of the original series who remember the Calderone family's history with Crockett and Tubbs.

For those who need a refresher, Esteban Calderone was one of the original show's earliest major villains. Played by Miguel Piñero, he was a powerful drug lord who ran the Calderone cartel and became a dangerous enemy of the two undercover detectives. His story eventually ended when Crockett killed him.

Leguizamo later entered the series as Esteban's son, Orlando Calderone, appearing during Seasons 2 and 3, including the September 19, 1986 episode "Sons and Lovers." Orlando was determined to get revenge for his father's death, which brought him into direct conflict with Tubbs.

Things got even more personal because Tubbs had a child with Orlando's half-sister, Angelina. After Angelina was killed, the conflict eventually led Tubbs to an island confrontation where Orlando and his men were killed, seemingly putting an end to the Calderone family's criminal activities.

Now Leguizamo is returning to play the very man whose death motivated his original character's revenge story. It's a fun way to bring an actor from the classic series into the new movie, while giving longtime fans a familiar villain to recognize.

What's also interesting is how much Leguizamo's perspective on the franchise has changed over the years. Early in his career, he actually considered television acting a downgrade from his theater work.

As he previously explained in, “It was a different time where theater people really looked down on TV acting”.

Four decades later, that early television job has brought him back to a major Hollywood production, this time playing the father of the character who helped launch his career.

“It’s such a full-circle moment,” he acknowledged. “And yes, you’re gonna feel tingles, man.”

I'm curious to see how Kosinski handles the Calderone storyline, especially with Leguizamo stepping into a role that was such a big part of the original show's early history. It's a cool casting choice that connects the new film to its television roots.

The rest of the cast includes Alden Ehrenreich (Weapons), Danny Ramirez (Captain America: Brave New World), Andrew Schulz (Street Fighter), Edi Gathegi (Superman), Walton Goggins (Fallout), Michael Irby (Mayans M.C.), and Haley Lu Richardson (The White Lotus).

Between Kosinski's visual style and the impressive cast, there's plenty to look forward to with Miami Vice ’85.

Miami Vice ’85 is scheduled to hit theaters on May 19, 2028.

Source: ComicBook