Legendary boxer “Iron” Mike Tyson is brought back to his prime in a new trailer for the Hulu limited series Mike. Starring Trevante Rhodes as the titular boxer, the series explores not just who Tyson was inside the ring, but also the controversial life he lived when the bell had rung and the gloves were off. With the trailer, we get to see Rhodes embody both sides of Tyson — the fierce boxer who dismantled his opponents with a few good punches and the complicated man who experienced manic highs and depressive lows in his pursuit of the American Dream.
The trailer acts as a timeline for Tyson, taking him through the formative moments of his youth all the way to the limelight that he experienced as a superstar boxer. Fighting wasn’t unusual for Tyson, even at a young age, and that talent carried on as he grew into a star. From that brief flash through his life, it all becomes a whirlwind at first showing the highlights of his life from training and knocking out opponents in the ring to bonding with his adoptive father figure Cus D’Amato (Harvey Keitel), his manager and trainer whom he had a very close relationship with. Throughout it all, Rhodes captures every bit of what made Tyson iconic, including his lisp and high voice, without going too far and taking away from the seriousness of the series.
While it starts off with the good parts of Tyson’s career, aspects of his troubled life bleed in. Notably, the trailer starts this segment with arguably the darkest part of Tyson’s life — the rape conviction that ultimately landed him in prison. The whirlwind continues, flashing through his relationship with manager Don King (Russell Hornsby), his struggles with bipolar disorder, and the unfortunate death of D’Amato which affected him heavily from an early point in his career. Before the trailer wraps up, there’s one last flash through the notable moments of his career, including his adopted pet tiger, the funeral for D’Amato, and the bite seen ’round the world during his fight with Evander Holyfield. It all paints a complicated picture of Tyson, one marred by bouts of violence but also racked with racial discrimination. The series looks to lay it all out for viewers and let them decide his legacy.
Joining Rhodes and Hornsby in Mike are guest stars Keitel, Laura Harrier, and Li Eubanks. The eight-episode series originally began life as Iron Mike, owing to one of the boxer’s famous nicknames. However, the new title better fits the message of the series which looks beyond the headlines and talking heads to get to the heart of Tyson’s story.
Mike hails from I, Tonya screenwriter Steven Rogers along with much of the team from the film including its star Margot Robbie on board as an executive producer. Director Craig Gillespie, Clubhouse Pictures’ Bryan Unkeless and Scott Morgan, and LuckyChap’s Tom Ackerley make up the rest of the crew from that film that’ll executive produce Mike. Karen Gist will serve as showrunner while executive producing through her Gist of It banner with Claire Brown. Entertainment 360’s Darin Friedman, Anthony Hemingway, Anthony Sparks, and Samantha Corbin-Miller round out the executive producers along with Rhodes.
Mike releases on Hulu on August 25. Check out the trailer below to see Rhodes becoming Mike.
Here’s the official synopsis for the series:
From creator/screenwriter Steven Rogers and the team behind I, Tonya and showrunner Karin Gist, executive producer of Our Kind of People, MIKE explores the dynamic and controversial story of Mike Tyson. The 8-episode limited series explores the tumultuous ups and downs of Tyson’s boxing career and personal life – from being a beloved global athlete to a pariah and back again. Focusing the lens on Mike Tyson, the series examines class in America, race in America, fame and the power of media, misogyny, the wealth divide, the promise of the American Dream and ultimately our own role in shaping Mike’s story.
