Back in 2017, a biopic on boxing legend Mike Tyson was officially announced, with Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx set to portray ‘Iron Mike’ on the big screen. However, the project soon hit multiple roadblocks, including script rewrites, scheduling conflicts, and other production hurdles. Eventually, the film was reimagined as a biographical limited series instead. However, the biggest setback was still to come.

In April 2023, Foxx suffered a brain bleed caused by a stroke while filming Back in Action in Atlanta. This led to an emergency hospitalization and an extended stay at a rehabilitation facility in Chicago specializing in stroke recovery. Supported by his family throughout, Foxx’s health crisis inevitably delayed production on the Mike Tyson series. Still, reports suggest that the project remains in development. Amid all this, Netflix made a major announcement.

Jamie Foxx starts a new project with Netflix

Netflix recently unveiled its latest sports drama, Fight for ’84, starring Jamie Foxx in the lead role. The film tells the story of the U.S. Olympic Boxing team’s rebirth after tragedy struck in 1980, when the original team was killed in a plane crash en route to the Moscow Games. Foxx plays Master Sergeant Roosevelt Sanders, a no-nonsense U.S. Marine coach who is recruited at the last minute to rebuild a ragtag squad of young fighters from the ground up.

Under his grueling leadership, the team defies all odds to compete at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics—ultimately capturing a record nine gold medals and 11 total medals in boxing, the most in U.S. Olympic history. Production is currently underway in New Jersey, with Foxx joined by Malachi Beasley and co-stars including Shea Whigham, Dan Perrault, and Will Chase.

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The movie is helmed by Narcos and Griselda director Andrés Baiz. Reacting to the news, Ring Magazine insider Mike Coppinger expressed his excitement on X. “Can’t wait for this, that ‘84 team was stacked. Holyfield, Meldrick Taylor, Pernell Whittaker, Mark Breland, and a host of others,” he wrote. Naturally, boxing fans and Foxx’s followers quickly flooded the comments section to share their enthusiasm.

Fan grows curious about the Mike Tyson movie

There’s no bigger personality in boxing than Mike Tyson. So, after the announcement, one user naturally inquired about the Mike Tyson movie Foxx was supposed to star in. “Whatever happened to the Tyson movie he was making as Mike Tyson?” the user asked. At the time of writing, it’s been turned into a limited series, but its current status is unclear. 

Another user was excited about Foxx’s new movie. “Jamie Foxx in a sports biopic? That’s an instant W,” the user commented. Foxx won the Best Actor Oscar in 2005 for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the biographical film Ray. Safe to say, the movie is in good hands.

Someone else remembered watching one of the participants in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics boxing team. “Mark Breland Olympics! I was a kid, but I remember,” the user recalled. Breland won a gold medal in the welterweight division at the Los Angeles Summer Olympics, defeating Nigeria’s Jeremiah Okorodudu in the final.

The next user revealed an unfortunate update about the venue where the 1984 team made history. “They won’t be able to film it on location at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena (venue for the 1984 Olympic boxing) because the L.A. Sports Arena no longer exists. It was demolished in 2016,” the user wrote. The arena was replaced to make way for the development of the new BMO Stadium, a Major League Soccer (MLS) stadium for the Los Angeles FC.

Meanwhile, this user branded the new movie legendary thanks to Foxx’s involvement. “Jamie Foxx leading the comeback of the century? This is going to be legendary,” the user commented. However, only time will tell if it’s a box office hit or a failure. 

From the looks of things, the Mike Tyson limited series is still being worked on, as Jamie Foxx shifts his focus to the new sports drama about the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. While these fans are excited about the upcoming movie, what about you?