Director George Tillman Jr. has had quite an interesting career in Hollywood so far. After the release of his feature directorial debut “Soul Food,” Tillman used the clout garnered from the surprise financial success of that film, and unselfishly threw it behind several other productions like “Barbershop” and the “Soul Food” television series (take that Tyler Perry). As for his directing career, that is an entirely different matter. After adapting two true life stories into decent films with 2000’s “Men of Honor” and 2009’s “Notorious,” Tillman directed the confused and frankly awful revenge picture “Faster,” which found itself spinning its wheels last Thanksgiving.
Now Tillman Jr. looks to be back in his comfort zone, as Variety reports he’ll be returning to nonfiction material with what is currently being referred to as “The Untitled Peter Buckley Project.” Based on the story of Peter Buckley, who’s been dubbed “the worst boxer of all time,” the film will follow the pugilist’s career as he continues to fight despite his nickname and infamous losing streak.
The script is being penned by Alex Davidson, who will most likely look to find some sort of inspiration in the story of a man who literally keeps on fighting despite the fact that he simply doesn’t have what it takes to be a good boxer. However, Tillman is currently casting his next flick, “The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete” with Jennifer Hudson (good to see her back in the game), so it may be a while before we even seen this one hitting screens.
Regardless, this is a good move for Tillman, who seemingly tried to step out of his comfort zone with genre film “Faster,” but on all accounts failed miserably. “Men of Honor” and “Notorious” certainly have their moments, and Tillman has a knack for giving us inspirational true stories with a bit of a twist, so for now let’s hope this is more of the same. With the recent spout of macho fighting flicks like “Warrior,” “The Man Inside” and of course, the award-winning “The Fighter,” perhaps this one could prove to at least offer something out of the ordinary.
