Jamie Foxx's Mike Tyson film heading for the small screen as limited series

Jamie Foxx's portrayal of Mike Tyson is set to hit the small screen as a limited series.

Deadline has reported that the project, which began life as a movie in 2014, will now be produced for the small screen by Foxx, who will play the boxer, and executive produced by moviemaking heavyweights Antoine Fuqua and Martin Scorsese.

Terence Winter was initially on board to write the screenplay, but newcomer Colin Preston has now been primed to pen the series.

Foxx impressed fight fans last summer when he showed off his bulked-up physique - as he got into character to play Tyson - in shots posted online.

"I have been looking to tell my story for quite some time," Tyson said in a statement.

"Now feels like the perfect moment," he went on, adding: "I look forward to collaborating with Martin, Antoine, Jamie, and the entire creative team to bring audiences a series that not only captures my professional and personal journey but also inspires and entertains."

The announcement comes after Tyson expressed annoyance at Hulu executives last month after they revealed they had ordered a series, titled Iron Mike, from I, Tonya screenwriter and director Craig Gillespie and executive produced by Margot Robbie and Karin Gist.

“Hulu’s announcement to do an unauthorized mini-series of the Tyson story without compensation, although unfortunate, isn’t surprising,” the boxing legend wrote in an Instagram post.

“This announcement on the heels of social disparities in our country is a prime example of how Hulu’s corporate greed led to this tone-deaf cultural misappropriation of the Tyson life story," he fumed.