(Los Angeles) Former American boxing champion Mike Tyson has accused the series airing soon on Hulu of having “stealed the story of his life”, comparing the platform to a “slave trader”.
Posted at 9:31 p.m.
The new drama series Mike which will be released on August 25 on Hulu, retraces the boxer’s life from his childhood to his stunts in the ring through his conviction for rape in 1992.
“They stole my life story and didn’t pay me,” Mike Tyson blasted on Instagram on Saturday.
“Hulu is the streaming equivalent of a slave trader,” he added.
The platform, available only in the United States, is majority owned by Disney.
One of the series’ eight episodes will focus on Desiree Washington, taking the perspective of the 18-year-old beauty queen who accused Mike Tyson of rape in 1991. The star was convicted the following year and had spent three years in prison.
Steven Rogers, creator and screenwriter of Mike claims not to have “been able to discuss” with Mr. Tyson, because another project already had “the rights” to the story of his life.
“I don’t like to rely on a single source,” he says to defend his biographical work produced without the approval of the former heavyweight champion.
While evoking the accusations of domestic violence which weigh on Mike Tyson, the series also narrates the abuse suffered by the star in his childhood, the loss of his mother due to cancer when he was a teenager as well as his problems drug addiction and mental health.
“I hope if he watches (the series), he will change his mind,” added Steven Rogers.