Diva, Richard Bohringer, Thuy Ann Luu, 1981 Courtesy Everett Collection Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Universal Pictures is moving forward on director Joseph Kosinski's big-screen Miami Vice reboot - one inspired by the look and feel of the NBC crime drama's 1984 pilot and first season. But what inspired Miami Vice? The answer to that is Diva, the groundbreaking film by late French director Jean-Jacques Beineix that ignited an arthouse sensation when it stormed cinemas in 1981. Miami Vice creator Michael Mann has acknowledged how Diva's gaudy urban landscapes, wet streets and saturated neon lights heavily influenced the distinctive pastel color palette and Art Deco revival seen in Miami Vice's portrayal of 1980s Miami. Related Stories Movies Joseph Kosinski's 'Miami Vice' Movie Lands August 2027 Release Date, Casting Underway Movies 'Spinal Tap' Director Rob Reiner on Controversial Sabrina Carpenter Album Cover: "It's Life Imitating Art" Diva cinematographer Philippe Rousselot recently joined The Hollywood Reporter's It Happened in Hollywood podcast to share how he and Beineix - together with production designer Hilton McConnico - devised Diva's look. "We were like kids and we didn't anticipate the success of this film," says Rousselot, who went on to become one of Hollywood's most celebrated lensers. "We didn't theorize a revolution. We just said, 'Let's have some fun.'" Rousselot is careful not to take full credit for the game-changing visuals, noting similar ideas involving color and "bold aesthetic statements" were percolating in French cinema around that time, including in 1976's Barocco and 1977's Paradiso, a film "that almost nobody saw - but which was also very, very bold." But in Diva, the ideas coalesced into a striking declaration that also found commercial appeal, influencing everything from 1983's Flashdance to the following year, the '80s-defining look of Miami Vice. "Diva was a statement that said 'This is a new generation," Rousselot explains. "It was not only happening in the cinema; it was everywhere." A restored, 4K Blu-ray version of Diva will soon be available for purchase from StudioCanal. For more on how Rousselot created the look of the film, listen to the full episode of It Happened in Hollywood. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Josh Duhamel Canada to End Foreign Actor Eligibility for 2026 Screen Awards Nick Jonas 'Camp Rock 3' Greenlit by Disney: Jonas Brothers to Star While Demi Lovato Joins as Executive Producer Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery Newport Beach Film Fest: Rian Johnson Tapped for Director Award, Will Guest on Live 'Awards Chatter' Episode Heat Vision 'Star Wars: Starfighter' Reveals First Look at Ryan Gosling Miami Vice Joseph Kosinski's 'Miami Vice' Movie Lands August 2027 Release Date, Casting Underway Heat Vision Paul Walter Hauser Joins Austin Abrams in Zach Cregger's 'Resident Evil' Reboot Josh Duhamel Canada to End Foreign Actor Eligibility for 2026 Screen Awards Nick Jonas 'Camp Rock 3' Greenlit by Disney: Jonas Brothers to Star While Demi Lovato Joins as Executive Producer Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery Newport Beach Film Fest: Rian Johnson Tapped for Director Award, Will Guest on Live 'Awards Chatter' Episode Heat Vision 'Star Wars: Starfighter' Reveals First Look at Ryan Gosling Miami Vice Joseph Kosinski's 'Miami Vice' Movie Lands August 2027 Release Date, Casting Underway Heat Vision Paul Walter Hauser Joins Austin Abrams in Zach Cregger's 'Resident Evil' Reboot