Searchlight is developing a feature film centered on Muhammad Ali’s refusal to be inducted into the U.S. Army in 1967 during the Vietnam War, Variety has learned exclusively.
The project is based on Leigh Montville’s “Sting Like a Bee: Muhammad Ali vs. The United States of America.” The book centers on the cultural and political implications of Ali’s refusal of service in the military on the basis of his Islamic beliefs. It also shows the key moments in a life in exile from the ring as he risks losing everything — his boxing license, his career, even his freedom as he’s forced to take a stand in a battle for racial equality.
“The Last Tree” director Shola Amoo has been signed to direct the film from a script by Phillip Howze, whose credits include Netflix’s “Mindhunter” and “The Eddy.” Alix Madigan (Amazon’s “The Lie”) is producing.
The project is based on Leigh Montville’s “Sting Like a Bee: Muhammad Ali vs. The United States of America.” The book centers on the cultural and political implications of Ali’s refusal of service in the military on the basis of his Islamic beliefs. It also shows the key moments in a life in exile from the ring as he risks losing everything — his boxing license, his career, even his freedom as he’s forced to take a stand in a battle for racial equality.
“The Last Tree” director Shola Amoo has been signed to direct the film from a script by Phillip Howze, whose credits include Netflix’s “Mindhunter” and “The Eddy.” Alix Madigan (Amazon’s “The Lie”) is producing.
- 12/15/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
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