Boxing movies have been one of the cornerstones of cinema since Rocky was released in 1976, and there are still plenty of untold stories about great boxing champions. One of those yet-untold stories is about Naseem Hamed and his rise to fame, which will be adapted to screen in the upcoming drama Giant. Deadline reports that Mena Massoud is set to star as the boxing champion, nicknamed "Prince Naseem." Massoud is most well known for starring as the titular character in 2019's Aladdin and has also appeared in Jack Ryan, Reprisal, and The Royal Treatment.
Sylvester Stallone, who became legendary for writing and starring in Rocky, will also be executive producing Giant via his company, Balboa Productions. The film will be directed and written by Rowan Athale, who previously wrote Outside the Wire, Wasteland, and The Vault. Athale says that working with Stallone is "a dream come true" and that he's been waiting to make this film for a long time:
“I have wanted to bring this movie to screen for many years. The story of fabled boxing trainer Brendan Ingle and his tempestuous relationship with protege “Prince” Naseem is both legendary and truly cinematic. It’s exciting, necessary, hilarious, and heartbreaking, and to be making this movie with the incomparable Paddy Considine and Mena Massoud, and with the support of the one and only Sylvester Stallone and his Balboa Productions team, is a dream come true.”
Paddy Considine to Co-Star as Boxing Trainer Brendan Ingle
Meanwhile, veteran actor Paddy Considine has been cast as Hamed's trainer, Brendan Ingle. Considine is perhaps most well-known for his role as King Viserys in the HBO series House of the Dragon, a role that earned him praise from the writer of the book the series is based on. He also directed and wrote the boxing drama Journeyman in 2017, which he also starred in.
Giant will be a classic rags-to-riches story, as Naseem Hamed started out in a humble borough of Sheffield, England, before being discovered by boxing manager Brendan Ingle and becoming one of the most iconic boxers of the 90s. Hamed is known for his flashy style and had several creative entrances into the ring, including one on a palanquin and another on a flying carpet. He was a brutal southpaw boxer, with the vast majority of his wins being by knockout.
Giant does not have a release date yet. It will be written and directed by Rowan Athale, with Mena Massoud and Paddy Considine set to star. It will be produced by Mark Lane, Kevin Sampson, and Stuart Ford, with Sylvester Stallone and Braden Aftergood serving as executive producers.