*A new name is generating serious buzz around the highly anticipated Tiger Woods biopic, and it is coming straight from the golf legend himself.
Globe’s source reveals that Woods has been privately lobbying the production team to consider Jaafar Jackson, Michael Jackson’s nephew, for the starring role. The film is an adaptation of Kevin Cook’s book “The Tiger Slam,” which chronicles the early chapters of Woods’ rise through professional golf. Reinaldo Marcus Green, the filmmaker behind “King Richard,” is in talks to direct the project, following Amazon MGM’s acquisition of the rights to the book. Casting remains officially unannounced.
Jackson arrives at this conversation on the heels of a career-defining turn in the Michael Jackson biopic “Michael,” which debuted to $217 million at the global box office and could ultimately gross close to $1 billion. Even those who took issue with certain creative choices in “Michael” have largely conceded that Jackson himself was a revelation, earning his accolades through a physical and emotional commitment to the role that few anticipated. He is currently at work on a sequel.
It is that combination of momentum, physical resemblance, and demonstrated range that has Woods and the Amazon team aligned. Both the golf icon and the studio executives attached to the project are said to be enthusiastic about what Jackson could bring to the production, including the loyal audience he built through “Michael.”
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“No matter what people thought about the Michael movie, the consensus is that Jaafar exceeded all expectations, deserves awards recognition for his performance, and showed incredible talent in his physical transformation on-screen,” the source said.
“He has the look, he has the momentum, and Tiger Woods fans and critics alike are eager to see him tell another once-in-a-century life story,” says the source. “The job is his if he wants it!”
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