The long-in-development Mike Tyson biopic starring Jamie Foxx is finally moving forward but the project will no longer be a theatrical endeavor. The project has now shifted to a biographical limited series that will be directed by Antoine Fuqua and produced by Martin Scorsese.
The limited series, simply titled Tyson, will span the whole of Tyson's life and will date back to his troubled youth and to his subsequent meteoric rise as one of boxing's most successful fighters. No network or streaming service has picked up the limited series at this time but those in the know believe the project will have no problem finding a home considering the high profile names involved. Colin Preston wrote the pilot for Tyson and is in the process of writing the rest of the series. Mike Tyson had this to say about the project finally coming together:
"I have been looking to tell my story for quite some time. 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."
A Mike Tyson biopic has been in the works for quite some time. Jamie Foxx has been training excessively to prepare for the role but it was believed that this would be a feature film. The reason for shifting this to a limited series remains unclear but considering so much has happened in Tyson's life, this may be the best format to tell his story without trying to cram everything into a single movie.
Hulu also has a Mike Tyson limited series in the works but it comes without the direct involvement of Tyson. When Hulu announced their plans to develop an eight-episode series about the fighter's life and career, Tyson spoke out against its release because they weren't consulting him for the project. At the time he spoke about another project based on his life and it's clear now that he was alluding to the Tyson limited series starring Jamie Foxx. Tyson said "Hulu's announcement to do an unauthorized mini-series of the Tyson story without compensation, although unfortunate, isn't surprising. 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 the Tyson life story."
Do YOU think Mike Tyson's story will be served better as a limited series?