British actor David Oyelowo (“Selma,” “Jack Reacher”) is set to play American boxing icon Sugar Ray Robinson in “Sweet Thunder” – a movie he’s not only starring in but is also producing and writing.
Oyelowo says the project is a passion of his and has been in the works for nearly a decade, during which time he’s worked to maintain the required level of fitness to play Robinson.
Often regarded as the greatest boxer of all time, he was renowned for his classy and flamboyant lifestyle outside the ring and is often considered the originator of athlete “entourages” in modern sports. He engaged in 201 total fights over his career, winning 174 of them and winning with a knockout in over half his total fights.
Oyelowo will next be seen on the big screen in the 1950s murder mystery “See How They Run” alongside Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan. He’s also starring as Bass Reeves, the first black deputy US marshal, in a Paramount+ series from Taylor Sheridan.
Source: Deadline
