David Oyelowo is set to play the lead role in the film Sweet Thunder as legendary boxer Sugar Ray Robinson. Oyelowo’s breakout role as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Oscar Drama Selma was a large factor in the decision to green light his term as the boxer. A prestige picture like this requires some power and even moreso that of an dramatic powerhouse like Oyelowo. The actor is also writing and producing the picture, making this an personal project for him. So far, the film has been in development by the actor for around 10 years.

During that time, Oyelowo has been putting in work at the gym in order to maintain the required level of fitness to play Robinson, who he says “had unbelievable footwork and incredible hand speed,” seen in his five winning efforts in the ring against Jake LaMotta, played by Robert De Niro in Raging Bull.

The actor’s next film to be released on the big screen is the film See How They Run, a murder-mystery drama set in 1950s London, co-starring Saoirse Ronan and Ruth Wilson. He is also starring as Bass Reeves, the title role in a series about the first black deputy US marshal west of the Mississippi River. Paramount+ have created the show as a spin-off from their 1883 series.