Film News: Eminem Signs up for Boxing Movie

As he proved in his last film role in 8 Mile, hip-hop megastar Eminem isn’t afraid of confrontation – but his second appearance on the silver screen is set to take it up a gear.

While he excelled during rap battles in the 2002 film, his new role in boxing drama Southpaw is set to see him put his dukes up in the ring as a welterweight fighter.

According to film news source Deadline, the DreamWorks picture will be written by Kurt Sutter, known for his work on TV series Sons of Anarchy.

The film is set to tell the story of a boxer’s climb to the top and fall from grace when tragedy strikes.

After being impressed by Eminem – real name Marshall Mathers III – in 8 Mile, Sutter sought to get the music star involved in another film project. However, the rapper proved to be “very selective” about the projects he’d consider away from the music world – until Southpaw was put on the table.

Sutter revealed that Mathers is already a big boxing fan and the pair agreed that it could provide an apt metaphor for his own struggles in life. He added that the movie will in some ways be a “continuation” of the story in 8 Mile, although there is no suggestion it will feature the same characters or setting.

“I love that the title refers to Marshall being a lefty, which is to boxing what a white rapper is to hip hop - dangerous, unwanted and completely unorthodox,” Sutter told the news source. “It's a much harder road for a southpaw than a right handed boxer.”

However, don’t hold your breath for film trailers for the flick any time soon – Sutter isn’t expecting to submit a draft of the script until February 2011. As and when the project comes to fruition, it will join a long and celebrated lineage of boxing movies which have delighted movie fans and film review writers for decades.

Even the most casual film fan will have seen at least one of the Rocky films, but the likes of 2004’s Oscar-winning Million Dollar Baby and Will Smith’s portrayal of Cassius Clay in Ali are also popular among fans of the sport. Then of course, there’s the classics such as The Harder They Fall and The Set-Up – must-sees for anyone who loves seeing the thrill of the fight up on the silver screen.