Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson has accused an unauthorized TV drama of stealing his life story, likening the platform for the upcoming series to a “slave master”.
Mikepremiering on US streamer Hulu on August 25, is a scripted drama that retraces moments from the controversial fighter’s life, from his early childhood to his 1992 rape conviction.
“Hulu is the streaming version of the slave master. They stole my story and didn’t pay me.”
Tyson wrote on Instagram.
And he added: “I do not support their story about my life. Now is not 1822. This is the year 2022. They stole my life story and didn’t pay me.”
“To Hulu executives, I’m just a person who can sell at an auction,”
– he wrote, putting asterisks instead of letters.
Hulu, which is only available in the United States, is owned by Disney.
The show traces Tyson’s childhood bullying, his teenage years in and out of jail after joining a Brooklyn street gang, and his early start in boxing.
While the eight-part limited series features Tyson in the ring during various high-profile fights, it focuses on his tumultuous personal life.
One episode focuses on Desiree Washington, an 18-year-old beauty pageant contestant who accused Tyson of rape in 1991. The following year, he was convicted and imprisoned for three years.
The episode tells the events of the rape in the Indianapolis hotel room and the subsequent trial from Washington’s point of view and with her narration.
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Mike Tyson slams Hulu series ‘Slave Master’ for ‘stealing’ life story
Creator and screenwriter Stephen Rogers said the filmmakers actually “couldn’t talk” to Tyson because “his rights to life had already been taken away” by another project.
But he also noted the merits of taking Tyson’s life without authorization, saying, “I don’t like to rely on just one source.”
“I really enjoy doing the research, getting all these different opinions and then talking about it all,”
he said at a recent Television Critics Association panel.
“I don’t like being beholden to one person.”
Trevante Rhodes, who plays Tyson in the eight-part limited series, said it was “best to at least separate as much as possible.”
When asked if he was worried about angering Tyson – considered one of the best heavyweights of all time, who infamously bit off a chunk of Evander Holyfield’s ear in a 1997 fight – Rhodes simply said, “No.”
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“The Baddest Man on the Planet”
While confronting the allegations of domestic violence, the show also contextualizes Tyson’s childhood abuse, the early loss of his mother to cancer, his addiction problems and efforts by establishment figures to capitalize on Tyson’s lucrative success in the ring.
“When I researched it, I found that many of the issues we’re struggling with today — like Black Lives Matter and MeToo, prison reform, drug addiction and mental health issues — all the things we’re struggling with — are rooted in into one man’s story,” said show host Karin Gist.
“So it felt like a really good time to tell it through the lens of the baddest person on the planet.”
“I hope if he sees this he will change his mind.”
Rogers added:
© Agence France Presse
