Black Panther’s Winston Duke reportedly to play Kimbo Slice on screen
Winston Duke, one of the breakout stars of this year’s Black Panther, reportedly will star as late mixed-martial-arts star Kevin Ferguson, better known as Kimbo Slice, in a biopic titled Backyard Legend.
Kevin ‘Kimbo Slice’ Ferguson was born in Nassau, Bahamas on February 8, 1974 and passed away in June 6, 2016 in Margate, Florida. During his lifetime he was a beloved family man, and one of the most mediagenic fighters in combat sports. He rose to fame in backyard bare-knuckle boxing bouts, and later fought in Elite XC, The Ultimate Fighter, the UFC, and Bellator MMA.
Now IMDB reports that his story is coming to the silver screen.
Winston Duke reportedly will star as late mixed-martial-arts star Kevin Ferguson, better known as Kimbo Slice, in a biopic titled Backyard Legend. Duke also is listed as an executive producer on the project.
Duke was among the breakout stars of this year’s Black Panther, in which he played M’Baku. He reprised the role in Avengers: Infinity War. The Marvel Cinematic Universe hits are his first two major film roles, in addition to TV appearances on “Modern Family” and “Person of Interest.”
The Bahamian-born Slice rose to fame in the mid-2000s as his street-fighting videos gained popularity on YouTube. Known as “The King of the Web Brawlers,” Slice turned to the MMA circuit and appeared on “The Ultimate Fighter,” competing in Ultimate Fighting Championship bouts. He had a brief boxing career before dying of heart failure in 2016 at age 42.
Backyard Legend also has had the working title of Kimbo.
Kimbo’s is one of the great stories in combat sports in the past generation. Crafted properly, it should be a monster hit.