Actor Jamie Foxx called in to Power 105’s The Breakfast Club radio show Thursday to confirm his role in an upcoming Martin Scorsese-helmed biopic about the life of controversial boxer Mike Tyson.
Collider reported last July that Foxx had been linked to the potential role of Iron Mike, the legendary fighter and convicted rapist, who also gained a reputation for his temper, drug abuse, tumultuous personal relationships, and financial woes.
The project was then reported to have writer Terence Winter (The Wolf of Wall Street) on board, but was without a director until now.
“I just went in with Paramount with Mike Tyson. So I’m going to do the Mike Tyson story,” Foxx said. “Listen, to be in the same room pitching Mike Tyson to Paramount, Mike Tyson is on one side, I’m on the other side and doing Mike Tyson at the same time.”
He continued: “And Martin Scorsese at the helm, this will be the first boxing movie that Martin Scorsese has done since Raging Bull.”
Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull (1980) Trailer:
Foxx spoke of his excitement to play the man who he says at “18-years-old had $60 million in his pocket and everybody is trying to get it.”
“That’s the story,” the actor said. “The money was the downfall.”
Although the film has yet to enter the preliminary stages of production, Uproxx is speculating the unnamed project will be using the same performance capture technology used in 2008’s The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, which will allow Foxx to portray both young and old Mike.
Listen to the entire interview below, where talk of the Mike Tyson project beings at about the 8:15 mark:
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