“Backyard Legend” A Biography on Kimbo Slice
Winston Duke who played M’Baku in Marvel’s multi-billion dollar blockbuster movies Black Panther and Avengers Infinity War is now getting inside the cage for a role to play MMA & street fighting legend Kimbo Slice in Backyard Legend.
According to a report on Deadline:
White Boy Rick scribe Andy Weiss is writing the screenplay about the Bahamian-born backyard brawler who rose from homelessness to mixed martial arts fame after his brutal backyard fights drew a huge YouTube audience. Kimbo Slice died suddenly in June 2016 at 42 from heart failure and a liver mass.
Though he battled high blood pressure for years, Kimbo Slice insisted on boxing months before his death, winning a three-round heavyweight match against Dhafir “Dada 5000” Harris at Bellator 149 in Houston.
Before dying Kimbo Slice was scheduled to fight James Thompson in the main event Bellator 158 despite his family’s mixed emotions. They knew his health was ailing given his lack of energy in the Dada 5000 fight.
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Deadline also reported that Winston Duke and Michael Imber, Kimbo’s longtime friend, and manager who will be prominently depicted in the movie will also serve as EPs. Jones says:
“It’s a rich and layered tale about this man’s incredible journey from a poor neighborhood in Miami to becoming a worldwide phenomenon. 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 adds “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.”
Sounds like an awesome portrayal of a man who was truly an MMA legend in his time. Check out this UFC’s tribute video:
As of now, Backyard Legends does not have a set release date.