Eminem's "Southpaw" Finalized

Written by Leroy Cleveland at Oct 22, 2011 - 02:41PM ET in News

Yesterday MGM announced they have confirmed to follow through on the making of Eminem's Southpaw - a movie about a welterweight boxer who moves up the ranks before tragedy strikes and temporarily derails his career.

Eminem had been working to produce this boxing drama, which was originally KO'd in August by DreamWorks, since 2010. But the product redeemed itself and is in the process of scoring a knockout at the box office in late 2012 or early 2013.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, this is a story of a 'tough-as-nails' boxer who becomes a world champion despite being a left-handed (or southpaw). And yes, it will be different than the Mickey Ward-inspirired movie, The Fighter, which featured Mark Wahlberg and debuted in 2010.

Sony Pictures Entertainment has obtained distribution rights in what will be Eminem's first major movie role since his acclaimed debut in the 2002 drama 8 Mile. Production is set to start early next year.

The movie, written by the legendary rapper himself and Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter, will be directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day).

Although he's had a few minor roles since 8 Mile, Eminem has not had a leading role since the 2002 film.

Expect Southpaw to be a combination of 8 Mile, Training Day and Rocky.

About Eminem ( from Wikipedia, Oct 22, 2011)
Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition.

Eminem, who admitted that at the height of his drug addiction he considered suicide, is the best-selling artist of the decade on the US Nielsen SoundScan, and has sold more than 86.5 million albums worldwide to date. He was also named the Artist of the Decade by Billboard magazine in December 2009.

According to MTV, the rapper is quoted as saying, "I've realized that the way I am helps with the music," he said about the natural personality quirks that fuel his music. "Sporadic thoughts will pop into my head, and I'll have to go write something down, and the next thing you know, I've written a whole song in an hour. But sometimes it sucks, and I wish I was wired like a regular person and could go have a f---in' drink. But that's the biggest thing about addiction: When you realize that you cannot — for f---'s sake, you cannot — f--- around with nothing ever again."

Sources:
Hollywood Reporter
MTV