For as long as there have been talks regarding a Mike Tyson biopic, Hollywood was made aware of the fact that none other than Jamie Foxx would be fit to portray such a role. When the news was first announced circa 2014, it was received with widespread praise and fan support. And so, it was an utter shock to the senses when a sudden turn of events not only made it impossible for Foxx to be a part of the project but tainted the entire saga with such negativity that it was imperative for Tyson to release several statements explaining his stance on the subject of Foxx’s removal from the biopic.
Jamie Foxx Gets Taken Out of Mike Tyson’s Biopic Project
For every great personality who has enjoyed a somewhat salacious, glorious, controversial, or epic life, there is a chance that the entertainment industry would want to recreate that story for mass consumption. The practice has been widely prevalent with sports dramas, controversial actors, troubled artists, and groundbreaking musicians, and Mike Tyson is just the latest in the long line of legacy stars to be envisioned on the big screen.
However, while most of the time, a process such as this doesn’t find vocal and active participation from the story’s subject, in Tyson’s case, the situation was rather the complete opposite. The boxing legend has been very involved in the decision-making process of who would get to play him in a biopic and for the longest time, fans believed it was Jamie Foxx who held the coveted and unchallenged position. Tyson, however, gave an explanation for removing Foxx in a poor attempt to pacify the masses by claiming during an episode of his podcast, Hotboxin’:
“No, he was one of the actors that we considered because he was very familiar with me but there were other guys that were in contention.”
With time, as most things wear off, so did the shining glory enshrining Jamie Foxx in a protective bubble of public favor and international fame. It seemed as though Foxx, despite all of those things, could not achieve the one thing Tyson needed of him – immortality. As the actor slowly drew closer to his late 50s, Mike Tyson dropped Foxx’s name entirely from the biopic and parried away in search of a younger person who could play a 20-something Tyson convincingly.
Who would have thought that age could pose a problem when CGI’s latest advancements can make an 80-year-old Harrison Ford look almost 35?
Mike Tyson Speaks Up About Withdrawing Jamie Foxx
The past year has been plagued by controversies surrounding the Hulu series on Mike Tyson that managed to offend every sensibility of the legendary former professional boxer for not acquiring his consent before showing him in his ugliest and most vulnerable moments. In the aftermath, the former heavyweight champion set off to make things right – his way – with the release of a biopic starring Jamie Foxx, directed by Antoine Fuqua, and produced by Martin Scorsese.
Despite the namedrop filmmakers associated with the project, Tyson’s biopic was already going through seven rungs of hell for the longest time as it faced delays upon delays with the most controversial episode centering around the replacement of Jamie Foxx who had allegedly spent nearly a decade preparing for the role. Speaking about his decision on the matter, a source close to Tyson claimed:
“Mike has been telling people Jamie is no longer going to be playing him. They are friends apparently, but somehow the whole proposal of Jamie starting off as 20-something Mike is not going to work. They are scouring casting agencies for an athlete who can act. It is such a shame as Jamie has been telling people for years about playing Mike. Not only does he have his voice and body gestures down perfectly, but his body was in tremendous shape.”
The biopic, despite all of the cacophony surrounding its making, never came to fruition. It was later revealed that Tyson kept bouncing ideas like, “I was telling my wife we should tell my story in cartoon form,” to comments about being too afraid to show his story in its truest, most honest form. Tyson claimed: “I’m too scared to do that, man. Because I can never keep it real because it’s just really creepy stuff, and people can always come back on you.”
As time moved on, so did the people associated formerly with the much-anticipated project sanctioned by Mike Tyson himself. As of 2023, no news updates have been heard about the development of the biopic.
Source: Daily Star
