M’Baku From ‘Black Panther’ Will Play Famed Brawler Kimbo Slice in ‘Backyard Legend’ Film

Last year, Deadline announced a film about bare-knuckle fighter Kimbo Slice, titled Backyard Legend. On Monday, we all found out who will play Slice: M’Baku from Black Panther, known in real life as Winston Duke. Ever since his breakout role in Panther, Duke’s career has kicked into overdrive. He also appeared in 2018’s Avenger: Infinity War (also as M’Baku) and is attached to Jordan Peele’s upcoming film Us.

Duke spoke to Deadline about the portrayal of Slice:

“I’m looking forward to exploring Kimbo’s story and interrogating the expectations society places on men like him who are their own special breed of hero.” -Winston Duke

Backyard Legend is being written by Andy Weiss, a guy who has a few other intriguing projects in the pipeline. He wrote the crime drama White Boy Rick which is set to hit theaters in the fall, as well as a sports handicapping documentary, titled Cappers, that’s dropping in December of 2018. In his earlier years, Weiss spent three years writing for the popular MTV show Punk’d.

Kimbo Slice passed away suddenly in 2016 after rapidly rising the fighting ranks through YouTube. Initially, he was taped fighting bare-knuckle against guys in random parking lots before getting a UFC contract. In total, he made eight MMA appearances.

His most-notable MMA win came against UFC legend Ken Shamrock at Bellator 138. Against Shamrock, he looked like he was going to get choked out before miraculously escaping and scoring a TKO. I remember watching the fight; to this day it’s one of my favorites.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7rfrcIcJf4

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