The release date for the yet-to-be-titled George Foreman Biopic from AFFIRM Films has been delayed. The film about the two-time world heavyweight champion, which will star Khris Davis in the lead role, will now be released a month after it was initially planned in April next year. The film was originally set to be released on March 24, 2023, before it was pushed back a week to March 31, but its new release date is April 28, 2023.
The film will focus on Foreman’s journey to become the oldest heavyweight champion in boxing history at the age of forty-five. The film will show moments from his childhood, as well as major events in his life —some of these events include winning a gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, his time as a preacher, and of course, the famous October 30, 1974 "‘Rumble in the Jungle" boxing match with Muhammad Ali. Davis will be taking on the role of Foreman, and is best known for his roles as Garret Flint in the short Running Interference, Malik in Space Jam: A New Legacy, and Tracy in the television series Atlanta.
The biopic will see a wide cast step into the ring to portray various people intrinsically connected to Foreman’s life. In November last year, it was announced that Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker would be taking on the role of Foreman’s trainer and mentor, Doc Broadus. Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) will portray the man who introduced Foreman to boxing. The role was originally given to the late Michael K. Williams, who unfortunately passed away in September 2021 at the age of fifty-four. In February, it was announced that Davis and Whitaker would be joined by Sullivan Jones (Harlem), Jasmine Matthews (The Tomorrow War), Sonja Sohn (Star Trek: Discovery), John Magaro (Call Jane), and Shein Mompremier (Black Lightning).
The untitled biopic will be produced by Sony Pictures and AFFIRM Films. George Tillman Jr. will direct the film and is best known for his work as a producer on The Hate U Give and On the Come Up, and for his directorial work on television series such as For Life and This is Us. The feature’s draft was originally penned by Dan Gordon before Tillman Jr. and Frank Baldwin took the reigns and finished the screenplay. Under the Mandalay Pictures banner, Peter Guber and David Zelon will be producing the film. The film does not yet have an official trailer or title.
The Foreman biopic will be released on April 28, 2023. In the meantime, check out the trailer for the Whitney Houston biopic, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, which premieres December 23.