Mike Tyson was at one point dubbed the Baddest Man on the Planet, and he was crowned with that nickname by knocking out his foes with ferocious punches in bunches. Outside of the boxing ring, he’s one of the most interesting individuals on the planet, and an inspiring tale of realistic redemption. No one ever turns from bad to good or crazy to sane permanently, you have to keep working at it and that’s what Mr. Tyson does.
With such an interesting and complex tale, it was inevitable that Tyson would get a biopic. Sure, there was that HBO movie where Michael Jai White got a chance to dance in his shoes, and he did rather well, but we’re talking about an Oscar-worthy take at Iron Mike. So, who’s a better choice to take on the role of Mike Tyson than Jamie Foxx? Nobody.
“Me and Jamie Foxx are in discussion, and we gonna do it,” Tyson reported to the Daily Mirror. “Within a year to 18 months, we’re going to do the Mike Tyson story and he’s going to portray me.”
Jamie Foxx is very capable of portraying Tyson, as this Oscar-winning actor has already had some practice at impersonating Iron Mike during his stand-up days. He’s about the same height, although he needs to bulk up to get somewhere close to the physique of a prime Tyson; however, Foxx has reportedly asked Tyson to train him. There will also be some CGI magic involved, the same CGI technology used in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
If you’re not excited by anything previously stated, you might get excited about who may also be involved with this film: Martin Scorsese. The legendary director has proven that he can capture the tenacity and chaos of a troubled figure, especially with Raging Bull, so there’s that and also he’s Martin Scorsese. The trio of Foxx, Tyson, and Scorsese potentially being involved in this picture is causing quite a stir in the world of cinema. Is it destiny? Fate? Smart producers? Whatever it may be, we’re all very excited.
Foxx won’t have a problem with the boxing, seeing as he is fit and Tyson would probably be in his corner, and he can definitely nail the voice and mannerisms. The difficulty in playing Tyson is how to portray him in his state now, if the film covers that at all. As mentioned before, he’s going through a point of redemption in his life; he’ll always be going through it unless he gives in to the dark side again. There’s this slightly wounded look in his eyes, like a lion that’s lost the fight in him even though it’s the one thing the animal loved the most. Sure, Tyson has lost that ferocity and replaced it with wisdom, but that ferocity was a big part of him. If Foxx can capture that, it will make the performance one for the ages.
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