Ben Watkins Explains The Greatest's Making

Ben Watkins talked about making The Greatest, the Prime Video limited series about Muhammad Ali. He said he wanted to show Ali as a person first, not just as a legend, and that Lonnie Ali supported that approach because it would make the story feel more relatable.

Watkins said the production leaned on a strong crafts team to pull it off. The panel included editor Steve Lang, costume designer Marci Rodgers, production designer Elisa Suavé, composer Stanley A. Smith, music editor Jordan Wiggins, and music supervisor Robin Urdang.

The team also discussed the show’s music and post-production work. One key song, Wyclef Jean’s “Gladiator,” started as an original music request for the opening fight scene and later became the main title music after a lot of editing and reshaping.

They also talked about the show’s physical details, including filming in Rome’s Colosseum and building many period elements by hand. Smith said the score used live musicians, with no AI involved. Watkins said the finished series felt like a high-budget film made on a modest TV budget.