Michael B. Jordan Film Set Disrupted as Man Allegedly Wields Butcher Knife

A real-life incident in New York City added unscripted drama to the production of Miami Vice ’85, an upcoming film starring Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler.

A 23-year-old man named Alex Perez allegedly disrupted filming on the Miami Vice ’85 set in Brooklyn on Friday, the New York Police Department told TMZ.

Perez allegedly brandished a butcher’s knife and threatened a staffer on set, and TMZ obtained video of Perez being escorted off set and taking what appears to be a large knife from his sweatshirt pocket.

Cops responded to the scene around 11 p.m. and arrested Perez, who also uttered a racial epithet during the incident.

TMZ reports Perez was charged with menacing with a weapon in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree. Perez was previously arrested for charges including alleged gang-related activities, assault with a firearm, and burglary, the site adds.

An NYPD representative told the Daily Mail that a “verbal dispute” involving a man later identified as Perez caused another individual to “become fearful for his safety” after Perez “displayed a knife.”

The rep also said that Perez was taken into custody without incident, that the knife was recovered, and that the incident did not result in injury.

Miami Vice ‘85 is a big-screen reboot of the 1980s TV show starring Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as Sonny Crockett and Rico Tubbs, two undercover Metro-Dade Police Department detectives.

That TV show already inspired one film, 2006’s Miami Vice, written and directed by Michael Mann and starring Jamie Foxx as Tubbs and Colin Farrell as Crockett.

Miami Vice ’85, due for theatrical release on May 19, 2028, stars Jordan as Tubbs and Butler as Crockett. The reboot is a depiction of “the glamour and corruption of mid-80’s Miami” and is “inspired by the pilot episode and first season of the landmark television series that influenced culture and set the style of everything from fashion to filmmaking,” according to press materials cited by Variety.

Dan Gilroy (Andor) and Eric Warren Singer (Top Gun: Maverick) wrote the Miami Vice ’85 script, and Joseph Kosinski (F1) is directing. The cast also includes Alden Ehrenreich, Whitney Peak, Camila Morrone, Danny Ramirez, John Leguizamo, Andrew Schulz, Edi Gathegi, Walton Goggins, André Holland, and Michael Irby.

Miami Vice ’85, In Theaters, May 19, 2028