Veteran actor Anthony Hopkins has been roped in to play boxing icon Mike Tyson's legendary trainer Cus D'Amato in Cus And Mike.

According to reports, the film will focus on D'Amato and how he trained Tyson to become the youngest heavyweight title winner ever and one of the most ferocious boxers of his generation.

Nick Cassavetes is directing the movie, which is being touted as a character study and a sports-biopic.

The Patriot Pictures film is based on the original screenplay by Desmond Nakano, and the book "Mike Tyson: Money, Myth, and Betrayal" by Montieth Illingworth.

"This is an absolute dream scenario for me. An opportunity to work with Sir Anthony in a movie about two of my all-time heroes, Cus D'Amato and Mike Tyson, the most ferocious (and my favorite) fighter who ever lived in a story about father figures that disappear too soon. I'm in heaven. So happy that my first film with Mike Mendelsohn and Patriot Pictures is this one. It should be one for the ages'" Cassavetes said in a statement.

D'Amato, who died in 1985, also trained Floyd Patterson and Jose Torres.