Jamie Foxx excited to show 'evolution' of Mike Tyson in new biopic about boxer

‘I think everybody will be able to understand this man’s journey,' said the actor

Jamie Foxx has spoken about preparing to play Mike Tyson in a new biopic about the boxer.

Six years after it was first confirmed that Foxx would be starring as the heavyweight champion, the Django Unchained actor appeared on Instagram Live with Mark Birnbaum on Wednesday (18 June) where he revealed that the project was finally moving forward.

“Doing biographies is a tough thing. Sometimes it takes 20 years to get ‘em done but we officially got the real ball rolling,” he said.

Having been friends with Tyson for almost 30 years, Foxx said that he was excited to show the “evolution” of the controversial figure, who served time in prison for rape and assault, adding: “I saw him at the height of his career and also when things got bad, when things got bumpy, I also saw him as well.

“We want to show how everybody evolves, everybody comes from a good or bad place. I think when we lay the layers on Mike Tyson and his journey everybody, young and old, will be able to understand this man’s journey.”

Insisting that his transformation into the boxer would be so good that “people will be running up to me in the street and asking for autographs, thinking I’m Mike”, Foxx revealed that he was undergoing a strict physical workout regime to look like Tyson.

“Once that happens, then we’ll start to add on who he is, the way he orders his food, what he cares about,” he said. “I think that’s what will make the movie go.”

As well as working out, Foxx has spent his time in lockdown attending peaceful protests for the Black Lives Matter causes, and suggested at one recent event that a “deterrent” should be introduced to prevent police brutality.