Big George Foreman

Big George Foreman (or simply Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World)[1] is an upcoming American biographical sports drama film directed by George Tillman Jr. The film focuses on the life of world heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman, played by Khris Davis. It also stars Jasmine Mathews, John Magaro, Sullivan Jones, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Sonja Sohn, and Forest Whitaker.

Big George Foreman
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGeorge Tillman Jr.
Screenplay by
  • Frank Baldwin
  • George Tillman Jr.
Story by
  • Dan Gordon
  • Frank Baldwin
  • George Tillman Jr.
Produced byDavid Zelon
Starring
Cinematography
Edited by
  • Alex Blatt
  • Craig Hayes
Music byMarcelo Zarvos
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • April 28, 2023 (2023-04-28)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Synopsis

Overcoming a childhood marked by poverty to become one of the most promising young boxers in the world, George Foreman suffers a near-death experience in the ring and vows never to fight again after deciding to become a minister. Years later, with bankruptcy looming over his struggling gym, he gets back in touch with his former trainer and becomes the oldest boxer in history to compete for the heavyweight championship.

Cast

Production

A biographical film based on George Foreman's career was announced in 2021. It would be directed by George Tillman Jr. from a screenplay by Tillman and Frank Baldwin, which is adapted from a screen story written by Tillman, Baldwin, and Dan Gordon.[3] Khris Davis was cast as Foreman,[4] Forest Whitaker as Doc Broadus, and Sullivan Jones as Muhammad Ali.[2] Michael K. Williams was originally cast as Doc Broadus (Foreman's trainer and mentor), but died before production began.[5][6]

Filming

Under the working title Heart of a Lion, principal photography was set to begin in the autumn of 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana, but was halted by the landfall of Hurricane Ida. Production was set to resume filming in Shreveport by that November but was shut down until early 2022 for an unknown reason.[7] Filming took place from February to March 2022 in New Orleans.[8]

Release

The film was originally scheduled to be released on September 16, 2022 but was pushed to March 24, 2023.[5] It was pushed back again and is set to be released on April 28, 2023, by Sony Pictures.[1]

References
  1. Panaligan, E. J. (February 1, 2023). "'Big George Foreman' Trailer Follows the Life of the Boxer, Minister and Grill Entrepreneur". Variety. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  2. Grobar, Matt (February 24, 2022). "Sony's George Foreman Biopic Adds Jasmine Mathews, Sonja Sohn, John Magaro & Shein Mompremier". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  3. "Production Notes". Sony Pictures. February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  4. N'Duka, Amanda (May 27, 2021). "Khris Davis To Play George Foreman In The Sony Biopic From Director George Tillman Jr". Deadline. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  5. Gonzalez, Umberto (November 5, 2021). "George Foreman Biopic Set for March 2023 at Sony". Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  6. DeVore, Britta (February 1, 2023). "'Big George Foreman' Trailer: Khris Davis Is Going for the Knock Out". Collider. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  7. Brandon; Michael (October 7, 2021). "The George Foreman Movie Filming in Shreveport Has Been Shut Down". K945. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  8. "In Production". Film New Orleans. Archived from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
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