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DreamWorks Acquires a New Eminem Boxer Project: 'Southpaw'

by Alex Billington
December 14, 2010
Source: Deadline

Looks like DreamWorks really wants to get Eminem back into the movie business. Deadline reports that the studio has acquired a new project called Southpaw with writer Kurt Sutter (creator/producer of FX's "Sons of Anarchy" and "The Shield") working on the screenplay. The project is a "pitch for a star vehicle for Eminem," otherwise known as Marshall Mathers, that has a deep connection to his life like his past movie 8 Mile. Sutter explains: "In a way, this is a continuation of the 8 Mile story, but rather than a literal biography, we are doing a metaphorical narrative of the second chapter of his life." Sutter is working on the script now.

In Southpaw, Eminem will play a fast-rising welterweight boxer who brawls his way to the title, only to see his world crash down around him due to tragedy; he must fight to win back his life for his young daughter. "The movie is about his fight to reclaim past glory." It's now setup at Spielberg's new DreamWorks, as CEO Stacey Snider helped champion 8 Mile back when it was being developed. Sutter explains Eminem's interest:

"He is very interested in the boxing genre, and it seemed like an apt metaphor, because his own life has been a brawl... At its core, this is a retelling of his struggles over the last five years of his life, using the boxing analogy. 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. It's a much harder road for a southpaw than a right handed boxer."

This sounds like it will be an interesting project with or without Eminem anyway, though at the same time, The Fighter is out in theaters now and I'm not sure how many of these same-old-story boxing dramas I can take year after year. At least this one has somewhat of a unique take to it and if they get Eminem, that will definitely make things quite interesting. "There is a rich story here that references his own experience, and I was honored to be able to continue a relationship that began with 8 Mile," Stacey Snider told Deadline. This sounds like it has potential so we'll continue to keep you updated as things develop. Anyone interested?

Filed under Movie News, Opinions

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