HBO is developing a limited six-part series on Jack Johnson based on Ken Burns’ PBC documentary “Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson” and companion book by Geoffrey C. Ward, according to multiple reports.
The legendary heavyweight champion will be played by two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali.
The project is being jointly produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman’s Playtone and Ali’s production company Know Wonder. It will be written by Dominique Morisseau.
Ali played Johnson in a stage production of “The Great White Hope” in 2000. He has said in several interviews that playing Johnson on screen is “his dream role.”
Ali won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in “Moonlight” (2016) and “Green Book” (2018).
Johnson is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time and, as an African-American during the height of Jim Crow, a polarizing figure in his time.