Jake Gyllenhaal will replace Eminem in the upcoming boxing movie "Southpaw."
The Wrap reports that Gyllenhaal will play a left-handed prizefighter who won a title but suffered a tragedy soon after and is forced to put his life back together to earn the respect of his daughter.
Anotine Fuqua will direct the film for the Weinstein Company. "Southpaw" was originally pitched for Dreamworks, which hired Kurt Sutter to write the script. The film then went to MGM, which was going to distribute it through Sony; that plan also fell through.
Director Fuqua told the LA Times that he believed that story was not about the boxing but instead was a father-daughter story. He said "the heart of the movie is about a man learning to be a father."
Gyllenhaal recently starred in "Prisoners," earning acclaim for his performance and a Hollywood Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. The actor was also seen in "End of Watch," "Source Code" and "Love and Other Drugs." He also starred in "Brothers" and "Brokeback Mountain" for which he was nominated for the Academy Award. Gyllenhaal next appears in "Enemy," which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, and "Everest" and "Nightcrawler."
Fuqua has directed "Training Day," "Shooter," "Olympus Has Fallen" and "King Arthur." He recently wrapped "The Equalizer" with Denzel Washington and Chloe Grace Moretz.
"Southpaw" will begin production next year with Harvey Weinstein producing; Alan and Peter Riche will also produce through their company Riche productions.