Blake Lively Steps Into The Ring For MMA Movie 'Bruised'

Is Blake Lively slowly turning into genre movie queen? Last summer, the actress took everyone by surprise with the B-movie shark flick “The Shallows,” which earned more than its fair share of admirers. Now, Lively is readying for another fight.

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Deadline reports that she’s taking the lead role in the not so subtly titled, “Bruised.” Nick Cassavetes (“John Q,” “The Notebook,” “Alpha Dog“) will direct the Michelle Rosenfarb penned tale of a former MMA fighter, now a single mother working hard to make ends meet, who is forced back into the sport when the authorities threaten to take away her son. Sure, sounds like the kind of movie you’ve seen a zillion times before, but then again, on paper “The Shallows” seemed flimsy as well, but it turned into $119 million worldwide hit (off a meager $17 million budget).

The project is being shopped around at Cannes this month, and should the stars align, cameras will get rolling in September.