After years of working to get the project off the ground as a film, the long-gestating Jamie Foxx-led Mike Tyson biopic is gaining new ground as it is shifting to a limited series format with Antoine Fuqua (The Equalizer) signing on to helm, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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“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.“
The project was originally being pitched as a film for the past six years with Foxx attached throughout and a number of big-name directors and studios attached at various points, including Todd Phillips (Joker), Martin Scorsese (The Irishman) and Paramount Pictures. While Scorsese is no longer set to direct the film, the Oscar-winning filmmaker will remain attached as an executive producer, marking his first return to the world of boxing since his Robert De Niro-led classic Raging Bull.
The news of the limited series, which comes on the heels of Hulu announcing a limited series based on the boxer from the I, Tonya team, will span the life of Tyson. Sources report that after the streaming platform’s announcement of its series, to which Tyson came out against and slammed it as “tone-deaf cultural misappropriation of my life story,” various other major studios reached out to his reps in an effort to begin development on an authorized story on his life.
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Alongside Scorsese, the series is set to be executive produced by Rick Yorn, Ian Montone, Chuck Pacheco, James Barnett, Sophie Watts, John Ryan Jr. and Kiki Tyson, with the series currently being shopped around to studios now. Foxx and Fuqua previously worked together on the 2000 action-comedy Bait at Warner Bros., which was a general critical disappointment and a major box office flop, grossing just $15 million on its $51 million budget.
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