All-New ALI: COMMEMORATIVE EDITION, Starring Will Smith

Promo Lead09-Jan-17by John J. Raspanti

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Based on the life of worldwide icon Muhammad Ali and depicting his groundbreaking victories in and outside the ring throughout the 1960s and 1970s,

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment honors the legacy of this legendary athlete with
ALI: COMMEMORATIVE EDITION, a never-before-seen version of the epic drama, revised and re-edited by its acclaimed director Michael Mann.

The film debuts for the first time on Blu-ray™ on January 17.

In this new and dramatic iteration, filmmaker Mann portrays Muhammad Ali as he was, the greatest boxer in the history of the sport, who told truth to power and was denied some of his prime years as a heavyweight because of his militancy and anti-war position, all of which was juxtaposed against Ali’s tumultuous romantic life.

Further, in an all new featurette, Mann brings deeper perspective into the charismatic Ali during the film’s production in the featurette “On Set with The Greatest,” which showcases the humor and grace of Muhammad Ali with Will Smith, Michael Mann, and other cast and boxing legends. Additional footage from Africa features Will Smith, Mann, Jamie Foxx, Jeffrey Wright, Jon Voight and others with the iconic Nelson Mandela.

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ALI: COMMEMORATIVE EDITION Synopsis:

Muhammad Ali thrilled the world as the wildly outrageous heavyweight champion. At the same time, he did battle with a political establishment aggressively opposed to his political positions while he was grappling with a tumultuous romantic life. Filmmaker Michael Mann evokes Ali in his fullest human dimension in this new cut. Experience the epic drama from Academy Award® nominees Will Smith (Ali, The Pursuit of Happyness) and director, writer, producer Michael Mann (The Insider, The Aviator) on Blu-ray for the first time.

Directed by Michael Mann from a story by Gregory Allen Howard and a screenplay by Stephen J. Rivele & Christopher Wilkinson and Eric Roth & Michael Mann, ALI was produced by Jon Peters, James Lassiter, Paul Ardaji, Michael Mann and A. Kitman Ho, with Howard Bingham and Graham King serving as Executive Producers. ALI: COMMEMORATIVE EDITION has a run time of approximately 151 minutes and is unrated.

ALI: COMMEMORATIVE EDITION Blu-ray Bonus Features Include:

* ALL-NEW never-before-seen special features include:

o “On Set with The Greatest” featurette

* Archival special features include:

o “The Making of Ali” Featurette

o Theatrical Trailer

ALI, which was released in 2001, garnered the attention of audiences and critics alike with two Academy Award® nominations including Best Actor for Will Smith and Best Supporting Actor for Jon Voight; as well as Golden Globe® nominations for their powerful performances.

Artwork and clips are available for downloading at www.SPHEPUBLICITY.COM.