'Mike' on Hulu: Date, cast, plot, and latest buzz around biopic series on Mike Tyson
There have been only a handful of celebrities who have been more controversial than Mike Tyson. The legendary boxer took the whole world by storm when he made his professional boxing debut in 1985 and everyone knew that he is something special. He reigned supreme in the late 1980s and became the undisputed world heavyweight title. He won the belt at the age of 20, becoming the youngest boxer to ever win the title. His career took a drastic turn after that and made him one of the most controversial celebrities of all time. For those, who don’t much about his career, Hulu is coming out with the series, titled ‘Mike’, which will cover all the crucial aspects of the boxer’s life with boldness.
The 8-episode limited series will revolve around Mike Tyson’s life inside the ring and outside as well. From being a global phenomenon to the king of controversies, the boxer’s life has a lot of twists and turns, which makes him a compelling figure for a limited series.
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With the show arriving later this summer, here's everything you should know everything about the upcoming project.
When does ‘Mike’ release and where can you watch it?
The eight-episode series based on Mike Tyson’s life will be premiering exclusively on Hulu on Thursday, August 25. Viewers can download the Hulu app from Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store. Meanwhile, it is also available on devices such as Android TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Echo Show, Fire Tablets, Fire TV, and Fire TV Stick.
What is ‘Mike’ all about?
The official synopsis reads, “MIKE explores the dynamic and controversial story of Mike Tyson. The 8-episode limited series explores the tumultuous ups and downs of Tyson’s boxing career and personal life – 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. MIKE is an unauthorized and no-holds-barred look at the life of Mike Tyson – and it is one wild ride.”
The show is similar to ‘Pam & Tommy’, which is also an unauthorized retelling of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee Jones’s life stories. However, Tyson’s life has been really controversial and there are certain aspects that no one knows about and this series might present those things in front of the public.
Who stars in the upcoming biopic series?
‘Moonlight’ fame Trevante Rhodes has gone through a tremendous transformation to portray Mike Tyson in the Hulu series. Meanwhile, Russell Hornsby will be playing the role of Don King.
Trevante Rhodes
The 32-year-old actor was an accomplished athlete before joining the entertainment industry and won the gold medal at the Pan American Junior Athletics Championships in 2009. Apart from that, he also played American Football during high school. However, after graduation, he changed his field and turned to acting. Luckily, he started getting work almost immediately and made his debut in 2012. Since then, he played a lot of smaller roles in several projects and started gaining prominence.
2016 turned out to be life-altering for him. He was cast as Chiron in ‘Moonlight’ and garnered worldwide acclaim. The movie went on to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
’12 Strong’, ‘The Predator’, ‘Bird Box’, and ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’ are some of the movies that he has been a part of.
Other actors to feature in the series include Harvey Keitel (Cus D’amato), Laura Harrier (Robin Givens), and Li Eubanks (Desiree Washington).
Showrunners
The show is created and penned by Steven Rogers while Karin Gist serves as showrunner.
On the other hand, Rogers, Gist, Anthony Sparks, Darin Friedman, Tom Ackerley, Claire Brown, Craig Gillespie, Brett Hedblom, Scott Morgan, Margot Robbie, and Bryan Unkeless serve as executive producers.
Talking about the series and its complexities, showrunner Karin Gist has already made it clear that the series is “not” a love letter and will have all “the good and the bad”.
Latest News
1) Although the trailer garnered a positive response from the viewers, Mike Tyson is not happy with the Hulu series and slammed the streamer for making an “unauthorized” biopic on him.
2) In 2021, Tyson said that it is “inappropriate” for Hulu to steal a story about black athletes and used hashtags such as “#boycotthulu” and “#corporategreed” in his Instagram post.