The movie will chronicle the life of the late mixed martial arts icon, who became an internet sensation after his fighting video went viral.
- Jul 10, 2018
AceShowbiz - "Black Panther" star Winston Duke is jumping back into action to portray late mixed martial arts icon Kevin 'Kimbo Slice' Ferguson in a new biopic.
The actor, who was born in Tobago, has been tapped to lead the cast in "Backyard Legend", which will chronicle Ferguson's rags-to-riches tale.
Born in the Bahamas, he became an Internet sensation in the early 2000s, when his Florida-based backyard fighting videos went viral. He soon signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, saving him from homelessness, and established himself as a mixed martial arts (MMA) legend.
Ferguson later earned a few credits as an actor, including a role in 2012 film "The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption".
He died from heart failure and a liver mass in 2016, aged 42.
Plans to adapt his life story for the big screen first emerged in October 2017, but with Duke's casting, "Backyard Legend" is now officially taking shape.
Andy Weiss has been tasked with writing the screenplay, while Duke will serve as an executive producer on the project, alongside Ferguson's manager and friend, Michael Imber.
"It's a rich and layered tale about this man's incredible journey from a poor neighborhood in Miami to becoming a worldwide phenomenon," Steve Lee Jones, who will co-produce the picture through his Bee Holder Productions, tells Deadline.com. "We are ecstatic that Winston has decided to take on this both physically and emotionally challenging role. We simply could not find a better Kimbo!"
Winston, who shot to fame as Black Panther's ally M'Baku in the Marvel blockbuster, adds, "I'm looking forward to exploring Kimbo's story and interrogating the expectations society places on men like him who are their own special breed of hero."
