Jamie Foxx will play Mike Tyson in a TV series based on the life and career of the former heavyweight boxing champion, producers have said.
The Oscar-winning actor joins film legend Martin Scorsese and fellow Hollywood director Antoine Fuqua as an action producer.
Fuqua, a filmmaker best known for the 2001 Crime Thriller Training Day, will also lead the limited edition, which was previously to become a major film in 2014, the Timeline website said.
The show, which is not yet connected to a TV network or streaming service, is licensed by Tyson.
The series, written by screenwriter Colin Preston, will “take on the life of one of the greatest boxing figures of all time,” said producers.
Tyson, 54, said: “I’ve been watching my story for a long time.
Jamie Foxx won an Oscar for Ray. Pic: AP
“With the recently launched Legends Only League and the joy from fans after I returned to the ring, it now feels like the real moment.
“I look forward to collaborating with Martin, Antoine, Jamie, and the entire creative team to bring a series to an audience that will not only capture my professional journey and personal but also inspiring and entertaining. “
The commitment of the former boxer quite different from his response to another planned project on his life from the US streaming service Hulu.
Last month, Tyson accused Hulu of “tone-deaf cultural abuse” over Iron Mike and said Hollywood needed to “be more aware of black experiences”.
Hulu-owned Hulu said their eight-part series would explore Tyson’s life and career.
Foxx, 53, won an Oscar for his 2004 portrait of Ray Charles.
Regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time, Tyson became the youngest ever heavyweight champion in boxing history in 1986 at the age of 20.
Tyson hung up his gloves in 2006, but returned to the ring in November last year for a bout with Roy Jones Jr., which ended in a lottery.