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*After lobbying Donald Trump to grant boxer Jack Johnson a posthumous pardon, Sylvester Stallone is now preparing to take his life story to the big screen.
The actor has teamed with MGM to develop a biopic about the dominant fighter and first African-American heavyweight champion. The project will launch Stallone’s Balboa Productions, created to develop film and television projects, reports Variety.
Johnson was convicted of violating the Mann Act in 1910 for transporting a woman across state lines for “immoral purposes,” but Stallone was instrumental in obtaining a presidential pardon for Johnson earlier this month.
MGM Motion Picture Group president Jonathan Glickman and MGM executive vice president of production Adam Rosenberg are overseeing the film on behalf of the studio.
Stallone is currently partnering with MGM on the “Creed” spinoff, “Creed II.” The 2015 original earned more than $170 million at the worldwide box office. The new film, starring Michael B. Jordan and Stallone, is being directed by Steven Caple Jr., from an original screenplay written by Stallone based on characters from the franchise.
Balboa Productions has also entered into a multi-year deal with Starlight Culture Entertainment for feature film development.
