Winston Duke (Black Panther) is set to star as the late MMA fighter Kevin ‘Kimbo Slice’ Ferguson in the upcoming biopic Backyard Legend, per Deadline. Duke will star and Kimbo’s longtime friend, manager and employer Michael Imber will executive produce the film with Steve Lee Jones’ Bee Holder Productions and Michael J. Weiss’ Webros Entertainment producing.
Written by Andy Weiss (White Boy Rick), Backyard Legend centres on the backyard brawler turned mixed martial artist who rose to fame and from homelessness after YouTube audiences were drawn to his backyard fight videos. Slice died at the age of 42 from heart failure and a liver mass in June 2016. Prior to his death, Kimbo won the heavyweight match against Dhafir “Dada 5000” Harris in Houston and was still scheduled to fight James Thompson despite his family’s concerns for his health.
“It’s a rich and layered tale about this man’s incredible journey from a poor neighborhood in Miami to becoming a worldwide phenomenon,” said Jones. “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!”
“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,” said Duke.
There is no word yet as to when Backyard Legend will begin production. Duke will be seen in next in Jordan Peele’s Us.
