With the cameras already rolling on the boxing biopic, there is some casting news as Ron Perlman is joining Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts in The Bleeder.
The Good Lie’s Philippe Falardeau is directing the film, which follows the pugilistic career of boxer Chuck Wepner. He got his start in the ring when he boxed as a US Marine before turning pro, becoming a popular fighter in New Jersey. But he never quite found real fame and fortune, earning the nickname “The Bayonne Bleeder” for some of his more serious injuries, including the results of a tough bout against Sonny Liston that resulted in him needing 120 stitches. Yet he battled on, eventually winning more fights and nabbing a shot at his big chance: a match challenging Muhammad Ali for the world’s Heavyweight Title. While he did manage to knock the champ down at one point, Ali won in the 15th round on a technical knockout, with Wepner badly hurt.
And yet his folk hero status remained unbowed, and he is reportedly the inspiration for Sylvester Stallone’s original Rocky script. Wepner’s story here has been written by Jeff Feuerzeig (who originally had his eye on the director’s chair) and Jerry Stahl, with a more recent pass by Michael Cristofer.
Schreiber is playing Wepner, with Naomi Watts as his wife Linda and Schreiber’s Ray Donovan co-star Pooch Hall as Ali. Perlman will be Al Braverman, the manager/trainer who guided Wepner to his clash with Ali. He’s currently to be seen on Amazon’s drama series Hand Of God and is part of the cast for Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, which is shooting now and will apparate in cinemas on November 18 next year.