Hulu announced it ordered a miniseries based on the life of Mike Tyson, but the former boxing great isn’t happy about it, slamming the subscription service on social media.
The eight-episode biopic titled Iron Mike will explore the controversial life and career of Tyson, but they’ll do so without consent from the polarizing boxer. In response to the announcement from Hulu, Tyson called it an unauthorized miniseries, noting that he is not being compensated for the project, and cited “systemic racism” in Hollywood for using his story.
“Hulu’s announcement to do an unauthorized mini-series of the Tyson story without compensation, although unfortunate, isn’t surprising,” Tyson posted on Instagram. “This announcement on the heels of social disparities in our country is a prime example of how Hulu’s corporate greed led to this tone-deaf cultural misappropriation of the Tyson life story. To make this announcement during Black History Month only confirms Hulu’s concern for dollars over respect for black story rights. Hollywood needs to be more sensitive to black experiences especially after all that has transpired in 2020.”
Hulu did not comment on Tyson’s objection to the series.
The eight-episode Tyson biopic has been ordered from I, Tonya screenwriter Steven Rogers and director Craig Gillespie, a 2017 movie starring Margot Robbie. In his Instagram post bashing Hulu, Tyson added that an authorized story is in development and will be announced soon.
That authorized project might be one Jamie Foxx previously spoke about. Last year, Foxx confirmed he would play Tyson in an upcoming biopic after rumors of the film began circling as far back as 2014. Details on its development and release were never revealed, but that announcement could be tied to Tyson stating an authorized story is on the way.
Brandon Contes is a former reporter for BSM, now working for Awful Announcing. You can find him on Twitter @BrandonContes or reach him by email at Brandon.Contes@gmail.com.
