LONDON – One year after Muhammad Ali’s death, the life of the Muslim boxing legend, Olympian and civil rights warrior is to be turned into a knockout stage musical.
The Sun said producer David Sonenberg was looking to turn the life of Ali into a musical.
Sonenberg, who worked on Bat Out Of Hell, told the paper: “We can’t wait to be doing it. We have no clue who will play Muhammad but it’s going to be great.”
“The popularity of the film will no doubt get audiences down to the theater.”
The show will be based on the legendary documentary When We Were Kings, which told the story of Ali against George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle in 1974.
Ali became an icon for not only his achievements in the ring, but his political beliefs, particularly his stand against fighting for the United States in Vietnam war.
The decision would cost him his boxing license for almost four years, but seal his legacy as a man of the people, with the musical set to spread his story yet further.
The famed boxer and icon died in 2016 at the age of 74, after spending 32 years fighting Parkinson’s disease.
His name trended all over social media with hashtags such as the Greatest of All Time or #GOAT for short, and Rest in Power.
Named Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr after his father, the sporting champion, who died aged 74, reverted to Islam in 1964 and changed his name to Mohammad Ali, dubbing his former alias, Cassius Clay, “my slave name”.
Battling Parkinson’s disease for more than 30 years, his death was confirmed by his family in a statement who said the family “would like to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers and support” and asked for privacy.