Everything you need to know about Mike Tyson's new acting project 'Black Flies'
Boxing Hall-of-famer Mike Tyson will make his return to acting in a movie titles ‘Black Flies’. Tyson is among a star-studded cast that includes Sean Penn and Katherine Waterston.
The movie ‘Black Flies’ is a paramedic thriller directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire. The film is based on a 2008 novel of the same name written by Shannon Burke. The same author is also listed as a writer for the movie adaptation.
The story follows the tribulations of a young paramedic in New York City. Tyson is set to play the lead role of a superior paramedic officer.
The novel 'Black Flies' had received a wealth of critical acclaim. The book was featured as a New York Times 'notable book'. Shannon Burke won France’s prestigious Prix Mystère de la critique award for the novel.
The book takes inspiration from Burke's time as a paramedic. The novel was praised for its realism.
In an interview, Burke had said:
"The book does touch on poverty and race issues. It was a tricky balance. I wanted it to be about life on an ambulance and the changes that happen to people in extreme circumstances. That was my intent. But there was this other thing I was hoping to get in, if not overtly, at least obliquely. I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago in a place that was pretty homogeneous, and when I moved to New York City and started working in Harlem, I felt like I hardly knew anything about urban environments or the racial mix in cities. I’m 42 right now. I think I was the last generation that grew up in this very segregated world, where even the TV shows didn’t have racial mixes, where it was possible to grow up close to a city and still go to an all-white public high school."
Mike Tyson is no stranger to Hollywood
Former Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson appeared in many movies over the years. The most notable acting credit for him was in the Hangover series, wherein Tyson appeared as himself in the first two films.
'Iron Mike' also appeared in other blockbusters, such as Ip Man 3, Entourage, and Rocky Balboa.
Watch Mike Tyson in the Hangover:
As well as cinema, 'Iron Mike' has made several appearances on TV. In All Elite Wrestling, Tyson became an 'honorary member' of Chris Jericho's ’Inner Circle'.
Watch Tyson punch FTR’s Cash Wheeler below:
"I'm Back"- @MikeTyson AEW Entrance Theme | AEW Music youtu.be/zdJIaHwLokY https://t.co/I0U54p40cp