One of the many zillion projects Antoine Fuqua has been linked to in the past while is "Southpaw," a boxing flick once mooted as a vehicle for Eminem (he's since moved on to focus on his music). Last spring, the movie got put on the backburner by Sony and MGM, and then it pretty much fell off the radar. But now it's back to life at a new home.
The Weinstein Company have picked up the rights to the movie, and are apparently already talking casting with an eye to potentially shoot this year. Penned by Kurt Sutter of “Sons of Anarchy” fame, the story chronicles the rise of a lefty welterweight all the way to a championship title as he battles various tragedies in his personal life, and wins back the love of his daughter. "It’s about boxing but it's not about boxing," director/pugilist Fuqua told the LA Times. "The heart of the movie is about a man learning to be a father."
Alright, cool story bro, but we'll have to see if this makes it to the top of Fuqua's already mega crowded slate which includes: a Miles Davis biopic; heist flick "Chicagoland"; "Steel Town" for Legendary; a Suge Knight documentary for Showtime (recently wrapped); the thriller "Storming Las Vegas"; a Chinese language historical epic and possibly the "24" movie. His next flick, "Olympus Has Fallen," opens on March 22nd. So yeah, "Southpaw"? Get in line.