Jamie Foxx’s Mike Tyson Movie: What We Know

Mike Tyson is back in the news as he took on Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition fight on Saturday night. And coming very soon, a new movie about the boxing legend will be released with Jamie Foxx playing the role of Tyson. The release date hasn’t been announced, but here’s what we know about the biopic.

According to Variety, the movie was first announced in 2014. There were doubts about the movie being made, but Foxx confirmed this past summer that he’s playing Tyson in a new film. “It’s a definitive yes,” Foxx said to Hollywood producer Mark Birnbaum in an Instagram Live video. “Doing biographies is a tough thing. Sometimes it takes 20 years to get it done but we officially got the real ball rolling. I can’t wait to show people what it is.”

Foxx also talked about the first time he met Tyson which was when he was 22 years old. “I saw him at the height of his career, and then when things got bad and bumpy I also saw him as well. So what I’m excited about the movie is to show those moments,” Foxx added. “I think everyone, young and old, will be able to understand this man’s journey.” One of the things Fox is doing to prepare for the role is getting in shape. He showed off a photo of his physical transformation and revealed he does 60 pull-ups, 60 dips and 100 push-ups every other day. “I ain’t got no calf muscles, so we might have to get some prosthetics for that,” Foxx said.”

When the project was first announced in 2014, Terence Winter was signed to write the script, and Rick Yorn, Foxx’s manager, was set to produce. During the Instagram live interview, Foxx said the film will cover as much as possible when it comes to Tyson’s life and career.

This isn’t the first feature film about Tyson; there is a movie about the former heavyweight champion that was released in 1995. Michael Jai White starred in the HBO film Tyson as the title character. Tyson is an adaptation of the 1989 book Fire and Fear: The Inside Story of Iron Mike Tyson by Jose Torres. The movie took a look at Tyson’s childhood, his rise to the top of the boxing world and his conviction in 1992 for the rape of beauty pageant contestant Desiree Washington.