Without a doubt, Mike Tyson is one of the most controversial figures in the world of sports and entertainment. His enormous achievements as a boxer have been marred by a lot of scandals in which he has been involved, such as a rape accusation that led him to spend a good time in jail and even the famous occasion in which he ripped a piece of the ear to Evander Holyfield. Your life could easily have a series or movie.
A few days ago, Hulu announced a production called Iron Mike and the team that worked on the film I, Tonya. However, Tyson himself made it very clear that he did not agree with this project, as it is “an excellent example of how the platform’s corporate greed led to this senseless cultural misappropriation.” Basically, he was angry that they did not consult him and will not compensate him for all this, that is why he called for a boycott.
Jamie Foxx to play Mike Tyson
But now, we know that a biographical series of Mike Tyson is coming, and not only does it have the approval of the boxer, it will also star neither more nor less than Jamie Foxx. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 53-year-old actor joined the project where he will play the former heavyweight champion in a project that was initially intended as a film but now adapted to the television format.
According to the same source, beyond Foxx’s announcement, the director of this entire series is Antoine Fuqua – known for tapes like Training Day or Shooter -. And if this was not enough to get us excited, Martin Scorsese himself will participate as a producer, so we can expect a raw story that may remind us in some moments of Raging Bull, who also tells us the heartbreaking story of a boxer.
There is still someone to dare to produce the series
While this project on Mike Tyson sounds extremely interesting, with Jamie Foxx, Fuqua, and Scorsese leading the way, he is still on the line. The Hollywood Reporter notes that it can be difficult to find a buyer for the limited series due to the boxer’s involvement, as he is collaborating with the entire team to tell his own story, and the big Hollywood production companies do not like this.
Why is it not beating? Well, Tyson in his role can do everything so that the darkest moments of his life are not shown exactly. Specifically, they mention the moment of his stay for three years in jail, when they found him guilty of raping an 18-year-old girl in 1992. It only remains to wait for a streaming platform or a stronger company to dare to produce this series.
Either way, it seems like Jamie Foxx has been preparing for years to play Mike Tyson on camera. In a 2015 interview for Access, he showed the enormous physical work he has done to bring the world champion to life, and if this was not enough, he also showed his imitation and the way in which he came to capture some of the movements and particular signs that, to be honest, they don’t look bad at all.