Forest Whitaker is in talks to jump in the ring with Jake Gyllenhaal in Antoine Fuqua’s boxing drama Southpaw.
Penned by Eminem (who was originally set to star in the movie, before being replaced by Gyllenhaal) and Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter, the film will tell the story of a left-handed welterweight boxer who becomes a champion, before experiencing tragedy, and later finds the determination to make a comeback.
The project is set up at The Weinstein Company.
Whitaker will play a character named Titus ‘Tick’ Willis, a former fighter forced to retire after losing an eye. His plans to return to the sport, but as a trainer, are derailed after his son is killed.
Shooting is eyed for an early summer start.
Up next for Whitaker is Oscar-nominated Algerian filmmaker Rachid Bouchareb’s Two Men In Town, and Lionsgate’s adaptation of best-selling novel The Shack, which he will both direct and star in!
