Marvel Studios(LOS ANGELES) — Black Panther breakout star Winston Duke is taking his talents into the ring.
According to Deadline, Duke, who reprised his role as the hulking warrior M’Baku in Avengers: Infinity War, has been tapped to star as MMA legend Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson in his upcoming biopic, Backyard Legend.
The film, which was announced last October, will follow the Bahamian-born fighter’s story from being homeless to his rise to fame which started in brutal backyard fights that garnered a massive audience on Youtube.
Kimbo Slice’s fame, however, was short-lived: in June of 2016, he died at just 42 years old from heart failure and a liver mass. Although the fighter battled high blood pressure for years, he insisted on boxing months before his death — and ended up winning a three-round heavyweight match against Dhafir “Dada 5000” Harris.
“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,” said Duke in a statement.
This is the latest project for the imposing actor, who will co-star with Lupita Nyon’go in Jordan Peele’s upcoming thriller, Us.
Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.