Toback to tackle Tyson Doc



How, we wondered, often, was the Mike Tyson story ultimately going to resolve itself? Porn Man-Whoredom? Overdose? Prison? If it continues on the present trajectory unabated by a self-conscious decision to change, it will surely end in Fiery Tragedy.

Hugely self-involved director James Toback -- The Corsair once caught Toback in the 82nd street Barnes and Noble magazine section, reading positive review to himself, aloud -- hopes to capture the Tyson story in all it's fucked-up, Lithium-flavored nuance (Said with a level look of disregard). Quoth Variety:

"Director James Toback is in the ring with former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson on a feature documentary that traces how the fighter self-destructed and let a fortune and his ring legacy slip away.

"Toback will prepare 'Tyson' using more than 30 hours of recently completed interviews with the ex-champ. The director said his subject pulls no punches in chronicling every aspect of his rise and fall.

"Damon Bingham, Harlan Werner, Tyson and Toback are producing. The film will be finished in the fall, and ICM will sell worldwide rights.

"Toback told Daily Variety that he's been fascinated by Tyson since they first met in 1985, just as the fighter was about to win his first title at 19. He put Tyson in his movies 'Black and White' and 'When Will I Be Loved,' and they stayed in touch during the fighter's spectacular rise and fall from grace, including his marriage to actresss Robin Givens, his knockout of Buster Douglas, the prison term for a sexual assault conviction and biting off Evander Holyfield's ear in the ring."

Tyson's Tragedy began with the untimely death of Cus D'Amato, who was a surrogate father to the young and wayward Tyson. Don King took this opportunity -- with all the finesse of an African Tyrant -- to insert himself into Tyson's life, playing, from the bottom of the deck, the race card (We've got to look out for one another in this world, Mike). After expelling all of Tyson's real friends and good influences from his life, King proceded to pimp the champion, as he has with so many others, until, finally, Tyson ran out of steam.

Toback, whose favorite subjects -- other than Himself -- are, in descending order of importance: Pussy, Gambling and Race. We look forward to seeing if he can fully flesh out this Dreiserian American Tragedy by way of Bed-Sty in doc form. (variety)