Great White Hope Tommy Morrison To Get Biopic

[Wednesday, March 10th, 2004]
Writer-producer Curt Johnson has optioned life rights to develop a feature from the story of 1990s boxing star Tommy Morrison, one of the few high-profile sports figures forced into retirement as a result of testing positive for HIV, according to Variety.

Considered the Great White Hope of boxing during his peak, Morrison co-starred with Sylvester Stallone in "Rocky V" and was slated to fight Mike Tyson upon the latter's release from prison. Morrison was diagnosed with HIV during pre-fight screening in 1996, causing the cancellation of the scheduled bout and stunning the boxing world.

Morrison wanted to continue boxing, but no U.S. boxing org would sanction him. His final ring appearance came six months after his diagnosis, in Japan.

Those profiles examine not only the heavyweight champion's professional career and his controversial choice to avoid protease inhibitor treatment, but also his tough origins, breaking heads for the Irish mob at 15 and torching the school baseball field after being cut from the team by his coach.

"We've got one huge package coming together," Johnson told Variety. "This is an incredible story, like 'Raging Bull' meets 'Rocky,' and with all the various elements, this is similar to what we're doing on 'West Memphis Three.' "

That project, scheduled to shoot in late spring,

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