Former two-time world heavyweight champion George Foreman is about to have his life portrayed on the big screen. The biopic, titled “Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World,” explores the life of the legendary boxer turned minister.
Forest Whitaker portrays Doc Broadus, the boxer’s longtime trainer who introduced him to the sport, while Khris Davis portrays Foreman. Sullivan Jones plays Muhammad Ali, as the two boxers had an iconic bout during their careers; the “Rumble in the Jungle” in Zaire.
The biopic will follow Foreman’s boxing career highlights, including when he obtained Olympic Gold at the 1968 Mexico City Games and his world heavyweight champion run. Outside of his boxing career, the narrative will cover Foreman finding his faith, retiring and becoming a preacher. Finally, it will document his return to the ring at the age of 45 when his family and church faces financial hardship. He went on to reclaim the heavyweight champion title, becoming the oldest in boxing history to do so.
Foreman told a Los Angeles TV station that he was initially apprehensive about sharing his life.
“I had my big walls around my home, tinted glass in new cars, sunglasses. You try to hide your life, then all of a sudden, I’ll reveal things,” he said. “It was scary at first. Then you realize ‘why not?’ Everybody should take a look at my life. What a wonderful thing to know that you can start from the bottom and there’s nowhere to go but to the top.”
Outside of the biopic, Foreman is a member of both the World Boxing Hall of Fame and International Boxing Hall of Fame. The 73-year-old is also known for his entrepreneurship, having worked with Spectrum Brands to create the popular George Foreman Grill in 1994.
The cast includes Jasmine Mathews, Sullivan Jones, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., John Magaro and Sonja Sohn. It’s directed by George Tillman Jr. from a story by Dan Gordon, Frank Baldwin and Tillman Jr., with screenplay by Baldwin and Tillman Jr.
The film is set for theatrical release on April 28. Check out the full trailer below.