Fresh off an acclaimed performance in the thriller “Prisoners,” Jake Gyllenhaal is in talks to star in the boxing drama “Southpaw,” which Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day”) is directing for the Weinstein Company, multiple individuals familiar with the project have told TheWrap.
Eminem was once attached to star in the movie, which serves as proof that Hollywood can’t keep a good project down.
A fighter of a film, “Southpaw” was originally bought by DreamWorks as a pitch from “Sons of Anarchy” creator Kurt Sutter, who also wrote the script. When DreamWorks tapped out, MGM swooped in planning to distribute through Sony, though the film was eventually put into turnaround, which is where the Weinstein Company rescued it.