Mike Tyson biopic: Who's playing the legendary boxer in the movie based on his life?
15 years after his retirement, the life story of Mike Tyson is being made into a movie.
The legendary boxer will be portrayed on the big screen by Academy Award-winning actor, Jamie Foxx. The actor had posted on his Instagram months ago about his transformation for the role.
Foxx also revealed the name of the movie, which is going to be Finding Mike.
A Mike Tyson biopic has been rumored for years, but now it is finally happening. The movie was originally pitched around 2014, with Terence Winter as the writer and Martin Scorsese as the director. Yet problems kept pushing it backward.
Even now, Scorsese is not available to direct the movie, but the project is moving forward this time. However, nothing else about the script, production schedule, or cast and crew has been revealed.
Jamie Foxx on playing Mike Tyson
The Django Unchained actor has previous experience with biopics. He won his Oscar in 2004 for playing singer-songwriter Ray Charles in the movie Ray. There is also combat sports alumni in his filmography as he played the role of Drew Bundini Brown, the trainer and cornerman of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, in the latter's biopic Ali. Will Smith played the titular character in the movie.
It is safe to say that getting into a character comes naturally to Jamie Foxx. But he has sworn to make the Mike Tyson biopic one of the best works of his career, and portray him so accurately that even Tyson's kids confuse him with their father, he told Cinema Blend.
"It’s a blessing. Obviously, the training is different. We’re doing weighted pull ups to sort of make the back look the right way, and make the arm look a certain way. But it is, to me, I guarantee you, it’s the most dedicated I’ve been to making sure that this story gets told, and gets told in the right way. And I joke with Mike. I said, ‘When I get dressed up as you, I’m going to walk into your house, and your kids are going to say daddy’s home."
Also Read: Things to Know about Mike Tyson's Wife
Mike Tyson returned to the ring after 15 years
A decade and a half after his retirement, Mike Tyson returned to the ring to face Roy Jones Jr in November 2020. The match ended in a draw, but Mike Tyson showed that he has still got what it takes.
Jamie Foxx said that he had a talk with Mike Tyson ahead of his fight with Roy Jones Jr.
"I just got off the phone with him yesterday. He’s still writing another chapter in his life. He’s getting ready to box. He’s 226 pounds. He looks fantastic. He’s calm, he’s happy. You haven’t seen this Mike in years."
Also Read: How Much Money Does Mike Tyson Earn?