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. There is currently no network or streaming service attached to distribute the series.
“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.”
Last month, Hulu announced its own eight-episode limited series about Tyson. That series, titled “Iron Mike,” hails from the team behind the Tonya Harding biopic “I, Tonya,” including writer Steven Rogers and director Craig Gillespie. “Mixed-ish” showrunner Karin Gist will serve as showrunner and executive producer on the series.
But the real Tyson objected to what he called Hulu’s “unauthorized” miniseries, accusing the streamer of “tone-deaf cultural misappropriation.”
“Hulu’s announcement to do an unauthorized miniseries of my life, although unfortunate, isn’t surprising,” Tyson said in a February statement on Instagram that included a call to #BoycottHulu. “This announcement on the heels of social disparities in our country is a prime example of how Hulu’s corporate greed led to this tone-deaf cultural misappropriation of my life story.”