Renowned heavyweight boxing champion, Mike Tyson, has labelled a new upcoming Hulu biopic, cultural misappropriation and corporate greed. The unauthorized biopic is not to be confused with the authorized film that stars Jamie Foxx as Tyson and which is currently in development.
Over the course of his extensive boxing career, Tyson was seen as one of the greatest fighters to ever make a name for himself in the sport. But as his career drew near its end, Tyson seemed to consistently invite controversy. Later years found him convicted of raping 18-year-old Miss Black Rhode Island contestant, Desiree Washington, which saw Tyson spend just under three years in prison. Upon his return to boxing, Tyson struggled to regain his foothold on the sport. After being defeated by Evander Holyfield in 1996, the two were involved in a rematch that has since gone down in history due to Tyson biting a piece of Holyfield’s ear off. Despite these issues, Tyson retains a strong fanbase and even managed to land his own successful animated series, which ran from 2014-2020 on Netflix.
Because of the ups and downs of his storied career, it seems only natural that Tyson would be due for a biopic. And while fans have been looking forward to seeing what Foxx does with the role, an 8-part Hulu biopic produced by Margot Robbie has attracted Tyson’s ire. As per a report from ET Canada, the 54-year-old former fighter has accused Hulu’s limited-series biopic, Iron Mike, of cultural misappropriation and an insensitivity toward Black History Month that is driven by corporate greed. Said Tyson:
Hulu’s announcement to do an unauthorized miniseries of my life, although unfortunate, isn’t surprising. 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 my 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. My authorized story is in development and will be announced in coming days.
According to Hulu executives, despite Tyson not being involved with Iron Mike in any capacity, he was briefed on the series months ago. His recent statement does speak to some very relevant issues, and the announcement of the series during Black History Month is understandably somewhat ill-timed. However, Tyson’s concerns are also likely linked to the fact that he has no control over how the limited-series will portray him. In previous years, the former heavyweight champ has proven himself very defensive over issues related to his past – as infamously noted when he called a TV reporter “a piece of sh*t” on live TV for mentioning his rape conviction.
Though Hulu’s biopic will examine all aspects of Mike Tyson’s career, the fact that it isn’t authorized is an advantage for those who want to make their own minds up about the fighter. The Foxx-led biopic will offer its own take on Tyson’s life and times, while Hulu’s version sounds as though it’s more interested in investigating his legacy. Whether Hulu is guilty of everything that Tyson says it is, is definitely worth considering – but then again, so is the uncensored past of one of professional sports’ most controversial talents.
Source: ET Canada