Winston Duke, who played T’Challa’s unlikely (and very attractive) ally M’Baku in Black Panther andAvengers: Infinity War, is taking on the role of MMA icon Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson in the new film Backyard Legend.
According to Deadline, Duke will also serve as an executive producer on the project. “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 told the outlet.
The film is being produced by Steve Lee Jones’ Bee Holder Productions and Michael J. Weiss’ Webros Entertainment, and the script will be penned by writer Andy Weiss. The story follows the life of the Bahamian-born legend who went on to mixed martial arts fame after a backyard fight drew a huge YouTube crowd. After escaping homelessness, Slice climbed the ranks of the MMA world before he died in 2016 at the age of 42 due to heart failure and a liver mass.
Michael Imber, Kimbo’s longtime friend, manager, and employer is also serving as an executive producer. His relationship with Slice life will be depicted in the film, though the role hasn’t yet been cast.
“It’s a rich and layered tale about this man’s incredible journey from a poor neighborhood in Miami to becoming a worldwide phenomenon,” Jones said. “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!”
So far there’s no director attached to the film and no release date. Duke will also star in Jordan Peele’s upcoming movie Us, which comes out in March 2019.
