Mahershala Ali is a big hit career-wise, but for a new HBO miniseries, he'll be throwing actual punches. Ali is attached to star in and produce Unruly, the story of boxer Jack Johnson.
Variety has learned that the series is described as "an unapologetically Black, no-holds-barred telling of Johnson’s life. The first ever Black heavyweight boxing champion, the show would follow Johnson’s rise to greatness and the costs he paid for his skin color and defiance."
Dominique Morisseau is aboard to run the show, while the executive producer credit list includes Tom Hanks via his Playtone company and Ali's Known Wonder production team.
And this isn't the first time that the actor has tackled Johnson – he played the pugilist in a a stage production of The Great White Hope that ran in 2000. He's got a few new projects on his To-Do list, not the least of which is taking the lead as Blade in the MCU.