After dramatizing the life of figure skater Tonya Harding to critical acclaim, I, Tonya writer Steven Rogers and director Craig Gillespie have set their sights on another controversial sports star: former boxer Mike Tyson. The duo are two of the creative talents behind Mike, a Hulu limited series that follows the heavyweight champ’s trajectory, “from being a beloved global athlete to a pariah and back again.”
“Focusing the lens on Mike Tyson, the series examines class in America, race in America, fame and the power of media, misogyny, the wealth divide, the promise of the American Dream, and ultimately, our own role in shaping Mike’s story,” Hulu adds in a synopsis.
The series has already run afoul of its subject, with Tyson writing on Instagram earlier this month that Hulu “stole [his] life story and didn’t pay [him].”
Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight) stars as Tyson in the eight-episode series, while the supporting cast includes Russell Hornsby (Grimm) as boxing promoter Don King, Harvey Kietel (The Irishman) as manager Cus D’Amato, and Laura Harrier (Hollywood) as actress Robin Givens, who was married to Tyson and has accused him of domestic abuse. Stunt performer Johnny Alexander, meanwhile, plays Evander Holyfield, the opponent whose ear Tyson infamously bit in 1997.
Scroll down to see images of those cast members in character, alongside photos of the real people they’re portraying.
Mike, Series Premiere, Wednesday, August 25, Hulu
