Trevante Rhodes is Iron Mike in the first trailer for the limited series based on the legendary boxer. Titled Mike, the eight-episode Hulu show will explore the polarizing life and times of Mike Tyson and his journey to becoming one of the greatest boxers of all time.
“Who am I?” Tyson narrates in the trailer. “People just see an animal. They call me a savage. I’m the most vicious, ruthless champion there’s ever been. No one can match me. My style’s impetuous. I’m ferocious. I want your heart. I want to eat your children. Praise be to Allah.” The lines mirror one of Tyson’s more famous and characteristic interviews.
The early glimpse of the show, created by I, Tonya screenwriter Steven Rogers, tracks Tyson from his traumatic childhood to his early success in becoming the youngest heavyweight champion ever to his controversial personal life outside of the ring. Tyson has arguably had one of the most remarkable rebrands in pop culture history over the past decade, with a variety of projects — multiple documentaries, movie roles like his hilarious self-portrayal in The Hangover, a one-man Broadway show directed by Spike Lee — have showcased his humanity. But during his athletic peak in the 1990s, Tyson’s celebrity was marked by notoriety, from his short-lived marriage to actress Robin Givens in which he was accused of domestic violence, to his rape conviction in 1992.
The role is the biggest yet for Rhodes, who first broke out in 2016’s Moonlight. Harvey Keitel will co-star as Cus D’Amato, Tyson’s trainer who became the boxer’s legal guardian.
Mike is the first of two biopic adaptations of the boxer: Jamie Foxx is also slated to play Tyson in a separate miniseries directed by Antoine Fuqua. The first episode of the Rhodes-helmed one will premiere on August 25.
