For years, actor Jamie Foxx has expressed his desire to portray one of the greatest and most feared boxers ever to step into the ring: Mike Tyson. 

Now, with a limited series titled “Tyson” greenlit, Foxx can hardly contain his excitement about bringing the former heavyweight champion’s life story to a worldwide audience. “I’ve been waiting, chomping at the bit for a long time,” Foxx told USA Today. “This man’s life has been epic. Epic failures. Epic success. The quintessential American story.”

The first real rumblings of a Foxx-Tyson project being in the works gained traction in 2015. At the time, Terry Winter, who wrote HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire,” along with Martin Scorsese, one of Hollywood’s most influential directors, both were attached to the project. 

Foxx excitedly even told the hosts of WQHT Hot 97 in New York what the opening scene of the film would look like in great detail. 

Still, more than five years would pass before the movie turned limited series would finally have enough fuel to come to fruition. 

In March of this year, it was announced the project would move forward with Foxx, Scorsese and Hollywood juggernaut director Antoine Fuqua at the helm. News of the authorized Tyson series came exactly one month after the boxing great blasted Hulu for its unauthorized eight-episode “Iron Mike” series. 

“I have been looking to tell my story for quite some time.. now feels like the perfect moment,” said the 54-year-old to Variety. He added the project would inspire and entertain audiences by capturing his “professional and personal journey.”

As for Foxx, he can’t wait for audiences to see his transformation.

“I’m telling you, and at one point if you see the process, like, being able to gain the weight, put the prosthetics on and then look so eerily like him. There will be moments, I’m sure, where the camera will be just be locked off and we’ll just let that burn in your head for a long time,” said Foxx.

The 53-year-old even shared photos of his body during the beginning of the transformation on social. 

“The transformation begins… “FINDING MIKE”. It is no secret that I have been pursuing the @miketyson biopic for some time… people always ask me when is it going to happen?… things have finally lined up… A few months ago we started the journey… The first but biggest task is to transform the body… with a regiment of pull-ups dips and push-ups we are off to a pretty good start… ” he wrote.

A release date for “Tyson” has not yet been announced, but already fans are eager to watch.

“Can’t wait for this”