Winston Duke, who played M’Baku in both Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War, will portray the late Kimbo Slice in Backyard Legend.
According to Deadline, producers of the biopic about the Bahamian-born mixed martial artist are ecstatic about their leading man.
“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 Steve Lee Jones, whose company Bee Holder is producing the film. “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!”
Duke is also helping to executive produce the film, and per the site, he’s looking forward to telling Slice’s story the best he can.
“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,” he said. He’s also slated to appear in Jordan Peele’s Us, a thriller that will reportedly hit theaters in 2019.
Kimbo Slice (real name Kevin Ferguson) passed away in 2016 from heart failure and a liver mass. He dealt with high blood pressure, but it didn’t stop him from fighting. He made his MMA debut in 2007, and was scheduled to fight James Thompson at London’s Belabor 158 before his death.