Jamie Foxx Confirms his Role in New Mike Tyson Movie
Back in 2004, famed comedian turned dramatic actor Jamie Foxx took on the role of legendary musician Ray Charles in the critically acclaimed film ‘Ray.’ When the movie hit theaters, audiences all over the country were floored not only by Foxx’s eerily similar appearance, but also but his fantastic acting job in the feature.
In the aftermath of the film’s release, Foxx won a slew of awards ranging from the Academy Award for best actor, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor among many others. Now, in an exclusive interview with Fight Hype, Foxx has just confirmed that he will be bringing the immortal Iron Mike Tyson to life on the big screen in an upcoming major motion picture project.
IT’S A GO!
In 1995, beloved action star Michael Jai White played the iconic role of Mike Tyson in an HBO original simply titled ‘Tyson.’ Yet, the movie that will star Jamie Foxx will mark the first time that the former youngest heavyweight champion in history will have his life’s journey documented on the big screen.
“It’s a definitely, yes! Look, doing biographies is a tough thing. Sometimes it takes twenty years to get them done. We officially got the real ball rolling and I can’t wait to show people what it is.”
IRON MIKE LIVES AGAIN!
As can only be expected, Foxx is ecstatic about receiving the chance to portray the bigger than life character on the silver screen. In particular, Foxx is excited to portray a man that he has admired, followed and done impressions of during his multiple decades of doing stand-up comedy.
Beyond merely seeing him on television, Foxx was actually able to meet Mike Tyson way back during his prime run as the heavyweight champion of the world. Due to this real life experience, Foxx is eager to bring to life the extreme evolution of character that the layered boxer has undergone during his thirty plus years in the public eye.
“What I am excited about the movie is to show those moments of the different Mike. When I called Mike a couple of years ago and said, ‘Mike, how are you doing?’ And he says, “all praises to Allah my brotha, I’m just happy.’ ‘Why are you happy?’ ‘I’m just happy because I don’t have crazy amounts of money anymore, so I don’t have any vultures around me. So there is no one to take anything from me, so I am just happy. How are you good brotha?’”
“And I said, ‘Ooh that’s the person that we want to show. We want to show that everybody evolves, everybody comes from a good or a bad place. And I think when we lay the layers on Mike Tyson in this story, I think that everybody from young and old will be able to understand this man’s journey and the way we’ll place it. And then just the technology of how I am going to look, I guarantee you people will run up on me in the street asking for autographs thinking that I am Mike.”
If the Mike Tyson movie is even half as good as ‘Ray’, then boxing and movie buffs alike should be in for a real treat!
By: Bakari Simpson
