Jamie Foxx to Play Mike Tyson in Biopic
Last week, Variety reported that Jamie Foxx is attached to play one of the greatest boxing legends of all time in a new untitled biopic. Foxx will be taking on the role of Mike Tyson in the film, which is currently being written by Terence Winter (The Wolf of Wall Street, Boardwalk Empire). This is an impressive set of talent so far, and Foxx seems like a good fit to play the athlete.
According to the report, "producers are eager to tackle Tyson’s life story." There's no information on what aspects of the Tyson's life the film will focus on though. The boxer is "known for the power and ferocity he displayed in the ring, Tyson became not just the top boxer at the end of the ’80s but one of the most popular sports figures, with a rough around-the-edges personality he displayed both in and out of the ring."
"After losing his heavyweight title in 1990 following the upset loss to Buster Douglas, Tyson’s life began to spin out of control, including a six-year stint in prison after being found guilty of rape. Tyson returned to boxing but never quite returned to form, and became more known for his losses to Evander Holyfied (a match which made headlines when Tyson bit off part of Holyfield’s ear) and Lennox Lewis.
"After leaving boxing in 2005, Tyson still had hurdles to overcome, such as his 2003 bankruptcy and the death of his young daughter. In recent years, he has kept out of trouble."
This will be the first attempt to turn Tyson's story into a feature film. Tyson is a boxer I grew up watching. I loved watching him fight, and his is a story definitely worth telling in the form of a film.