Sport and Cinema.com

Da Brick, a new series set in Newark, New Jersey with elements of former champion Mike Tyson’s upbringing, has announced its lead and several supporting players.

On the evening of September 7, 1996, Mike Tyson, the WBC heavyweight champion, attempted to take Bruce Seldon’s WBA title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

At this point in his career, Tyson’s fights had become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon, where the ever present hype of the professional boxing scene would come face to face with the worlds of big business, Hollywood, and hip hop.

Oscar nominated writer/director James Toback (“Bugsy”) presents a no-holds-barred portrait of the controversial former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson.

Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Tupac Shakur, Jimmy the Greek Snyder are all subjects in upcoming films from Hollywood directors for ESPN. Noted filmmakers, assorted Oscar nominees and Peabody Award winners among them, will ply their talents to celebrate ESPN’s 30 year history by creating one hour films on sports-related topics which will debut in the fall.
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ESPN Films is announcing 10 additional filmmakers for its ambitious “30 for 30″ film project. The filmmakers include Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights), Academy Award nominee Ron Shelton (Bull Durham), Academy Award nominee Brett Morgen (On the Ropes), and Academy Award nominee Steve James (Hoop Dreams), as well as Academy Award winner Bill Couturié, Peabody Award winner Fritz Mitchell, Reggie Rock Bythewood, Jonathan Hock, Jeff Zimbalist and the duo of Lucas Jansen and Adam Kurland.

Heading from the festival circuit into theaters beginning this weekend, is a documentary film that is more of a peek inside the tortured mind of former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson than a pure critical examination of his career…and it scores.