Last summer, Jamie Foxx went on the record that he was definitely going to be playing Mike Tyson in a biopic.
The idea had been around for years at that point, but Foxx was more certain than ever that it would be a go:
“It’s a definitive yes,” Foxx said. “Look, doing biographies is a tough thing. Sometimes it takes 20 years to get them done. But we officially got the real ball rolling.”
Foxx also teased some of the details of the film, saying he hopes to depict the “different lives” of the boxing legend. “We want to show, everybody evolves,” Foxx said. “I think when we lay the layers on Mike Tyson in this story, I think everybody from young and old will be able to understand this man’s journey.”
Now we have actual details, and the names behind the camera are also big ones: the limited series will be directed by Antoine Fuqua (The Equalizer, Training Day, and most recently the HBO documentary The Day Sports Stood Still) and produced by Martin Scorsese (Hugo, the pilot episode of Vinyl.)
Via The Wrap:
Mike Tyson promised he was making his own authorized autobiographical series, and now he’s delivered. Jamie Foxx will play the boxing legend in a limited series that will be directed by Antoine Fuqua and executive produced by Martin Scorsese.
Colin Preston wrote the pilot and is in the process of writing the full series.
The project has been in development since 2014 as a feature film, with Foxx on board.
The news of the series comes after Hulu announced their own Mike Tyson project, which Tyson has been vocally against.
He’s very much on board with this version, though:
“I have been looking to tell my story for quite some time,” Tyson said in a statement. “With the recent launch of Legends Only League and the excitement from fans following my return to the ring, now feels like the perfect moment. I look forward to collaborating with Martin, Antoine, Jamie, and the entire creative team to bring audiences a series that not only captures my professional and personal journey but also inspires and entertains.”
As The Wrap notes, the Foxx-starring series currently isn’t attached to a network or streaming network, though given the A-list talent on board, it certainly shouldn’t have any issues drumming up interest.
