How Fight Night Recreated Atlanta's Greatest Heist: Will Packer & Shaye Ogbonna Interview

Chapter Marks.Introduction & greetings with Will Packer and Shaye Ogbonna hey Will hey hey sh how y' how y'all doing how you doing my brother good to see you man you happy uh Happy blade anniversary I gotta say first off when I watched this it felt like cotton comes to Harlem it felt like uh Uptown Saturday night it felt like it gave this Vibe of those old those classic films from the the 70s that that we all enjoy looking back on and you can see these black characters playing like all these great great roles just a as as creating this uh Shan and we're like What was that the vibe I was trying to go after Capturing the classic 70s film vibe in Fight Night even it's a period piece but was I trying to give back that old school feel of these these great movies from the past I mean first of all thank you because that's how compliment brother to be mentioning the same sentence with the classics the legendary Classics is amazing uh and the answer is 100% yes absolutely that was always the ambition you know we wanted to take people back to those classes and by the way audiences that know those and then new audiences that maybe have no idea about those types of projects but what they all have in common is that they are a part of that classic kind of film Noir genre they've got amazing cast right they've got great a-listers all coming in to do their thing everybody playing in their Lane but they bring these ensemble cast together in those films what we tried to do in this eight- part series is to get the best of the best an incredible backdrop of the city of Atlanta be authentic and true to that time period and then put together a narrative where every actor could do what they do and do it well hopefully audiences will feel that when they Bringing together an all-star cast for an ensemble performance [Music] watch the [Music] b i p the call for be [Music] B look at me you know what to see see a bad [Music] up look at me Mr mot gentlemen I trust y'all had a smooth flight want to welcome youall to Atlanta say uh Mr Cadillac Mr Lamar of course Mr M listen whatever you gentlemen need while you're here in Atlanta I'm your man who are you you our party host yes sir Mr Chicken Man at me guilty is charge yeah see see a bad half expected his cluck yeah I I got that for you Mr the chicken man don't CL I mean you've done so many great The dynamic character of "Chicken Man" and working with Kevin Hart things I I feel like this this this Emy is coming towards Yahweh and I'm going just knock on wood for that cuz that's how great like I Bene watch this thing straight through I was just so amazed and and I I want to know like you for you sh like I know you've done God's country and other things but having like this cast of characters I know sometimes writers don't write with the cast in mind but having these these Terrace hours and and Don Cheetos and Sam Jackson to say these lines like how Shaye Ogbonna on writing for acting legends like Samuel L. Jackson, Don Cheadle, and Taraji P. Henson great was that to like put your work and have these thesbian be able to play it out it was a dream I mean specifically and to answer your question like I I'm that writer that writes for the once once I know we got these people I've watched enough I'm a I'm a Sam Jackson like apologist you know what I mean I'm a I'm I'm a fan of Terence Howard I'm a fan of all the of of Taraji I've watched enough of their I'm talking I I bought stocking these people from day one baby boy hustl and flow Sunset Park like you know Devin we could go back and what I'm trying to say is I've been following these people so long that I'm just like a fan I I I I I know their Cades their rhythms and so what I tried to do was be collaborative from day one with them in terms of just like this is the character let's let's Even build like especially like when you bring somebody like samon as Frank Molton it's like how can we make this more Dynamic and rise to the level of Sam and so for me it was just it was an opportunity as a creative who's always wanted to to make something like this with this level of cast it's just time to step up and start shooting and that's what I did you know I was on the court and I just I just started like just shooting threes and I just I feel like we really when you aim high like that M with with this project with this group it's it's hard to miss come on the Press find out while I'm here they going to have a field day better than an Assassin's bullet look here officer Mayberry I know you supposed to be in charge of my Iconic scenes and memorable moments in the series security but you really think bringing me up here with these sticks and ticks is going to keep me safe detective Hudson I here you say something detective Hudson oh that's my name son just thought I'd clear that up for you gentlemen Gentlemen please now listen as long as I leave win on the 26th ain't nobody going to care where you slept on the 25th huh you want smooth brother Senator smooth man smooth as the peanut butter on my sandwich this morning take notes detective Hudson don't you let us down Will Packer on the shift from box office hits to limited series detective uh well you've had so much success in the box office you know now get to these limited series I know like the the landscape has changed since you know Chocolate City and T and all that stuff all Way To Think Like a Man but now that you have like streaming services like this in you you seeing how this is g to play out like do you feel like this you're gonna you're gonna play more in this this sandbox a little bit than you you have before I think you got to be flexible I think this was the perfect medium for this story this story would not have hit the same in an hour and a half movie format you needed multiple series pieces in order to tell this story and allow people to get invested in the character so I would absolutely do this again without a doubt and I hope I get the opportunity to do it I think as a as a producer as a filmmaker I got to be malleable I've got to make sure that whatever the storyline the subject matter the narrative whatever it is it lines up with the medium it also lines up with the Why Fight Night needed a multi-episode format to tell its story audience I'm a big believer I'm a big proponent in starting with the audience where are they what do they want to see right I'm not somebody that believes like well I'll only build it a certain way the audience got to come to me no I think that you got to make sure that you are taking it to the audience in a way that they want to consume it and a way that they will appreciate the story that you're trying to tell well well has off to both of y'all y'all really did a great job this is an Will Packer's success and becoming part owner of the Falcons excellent piece of art congratulations on being new part owner of the Falcons and uh one you know that that's a big deal for for us this black people see people like you in that seat so y'all keep all elevated man we gonna keep all try to catch up and taking y'all as a great example of what what it means to like work hard and Achieve so y'all keep doing your thing man I'm proud man Jay I appreciate you brother respect for real absolutely means a lot brother always good to see you family good to see you too