Kurt Sutter's boxing drama script for SOUTHPAW (based on a pitch to Dreamworks) was made into a vehicle for Eminem a few years ago, but was later dropped and hot potatoed around town. Now, it appears the Sons of Anarchy creator's script has found a new home with The Weinstein Company, who have hired director Antoine Fuqua (TRAINING DAY, OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN) to helm it and are courting PRISONERS star Jake Gyllenhaal to strap on the gloves for the lead.
Gyllenhaal would "play a left-handed prizefighter who wins a title but suffers a tragedy soon after and must put his life back together to earn the respect of his young daughter." Fuqua is quoted as saying “the heart of the movie is about a man learning to be a father.”
As a fan of all the talent involved in this I think this has real potential to be something great. Sutter has been steering the ship of his FX show Sons of Anarchy to great success and Fuqua has done well with a string of high-testosterone action pics (SHOOTER, TEARS OF THE SUN), and Gyllenhaal has gotten some much deserved accolades for his recent work on PRISONERS, ENEMY, and END OF WATCH. I think this has all the makings of the star aligning for all involved to get a T.K.O. at the box office.
SOUTHPAW is expected to start shooting in 2014.