According to Deadline, a scripted eight-part series titled Excellence: 8 Fights about legend Muhammad Ali boxer is currently in the works. Regé-Jean Page, an English-Zimbabwean actor, and Morgan Freeman, an American artist, have both been confirmed as executive producers.
The series will be based on Jonathan Eig’s biography, Ali: A Life, and will be written by Oscar winner Kevin Willmott. Willmott, Lori McCreary for Revelations Entertainment, and Emily Brown will join Freeman and Page as producers, according to the publication.
Although no official release date has been set, the series will be available on the Peacock streaming service.
According to the show’s description, Excellence: 8 Fights “will chronicle eight distinct and defining moments in the iconic life of Muhammad Ali boxer. Each episode will be framed by one fight from Ali’s life, but the essence of the episode, what it’s really about, is the internal fight—the drama outside the ring—where we will explore the struggle going on in the heart and mind of one of the most consequential and controversial figures of the 20th century.”
The sports legend will be celebrated in the cinema not only for the first time. Prior to this, several documentaries and films have honoured the great boxer, including The Greatest (1977), Ali (2001), What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali (2019), Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali (2021).
Heavyweight boxing legend Ali died in 2016, a 20th-century icon whose fame transcended sport during a phenomenal three-decade career.
Ali’s 30-year career, which spanned 1960 to 1981 and saw him retire with a 56-5 record, included historic fights such as the Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman.
