Kurt Sutter’s acclaimed television series Sons of Anarchy rode off into the sunset earlier this year, but that’s okay – his latest work will be seen on the big screen this summer with the premiere of Southpaw, which stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a boxer whose life is sent into a rapid decline after a tragic accident claims the life of his wife (Rachel McAdams).
Existing in a fog of booze and pills, Billy (Gyllenhaal) loses custody of his daughter when Child Services intervenes, and the only way to get his life back on track is to get back into the ring. He enlists the services of a grizzled instructor (Forrest Whitaker) with a strict set of rules, and begins the long road to redemption.
The first Southpaw trailer was debuted on Eminem’s YouTube page.
Several years ago, Eminem was attached to star in Southpaw, but he dropped out during the lengthy development process. Gyllenahaal stepped in sometime toward the end of 2013, and director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) got the cameras rolling last year. Let’s hope the film’s long road from script to screen isn’t a red flag about the quality of the finished product – although we’ll admit, we dug this trailer.
Southpaw will open in theaters on July 31.
From acclaimed director Antoine Fuqua (TRAINING DAY) and starring Academy Award® nominated Jake Gyllenhaal (NIGHTCRAWLER, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN) comes a story of tragedy, loss and the painful road to redemption… Billy “The Great” Hope (Gyllenhaal) is the reigning Junior Middleweight Champion whose unorthodox stance, the so-called “Southpaw,” consists of an ineloquent, though brutal, display of offensive fighting… one fueled by his own feelings of inadequacy and a desperate need for love, money and fame. With a beautiful family, home and financial security, Billy is on top both in and out of the ring until a tragic accident leaves his wife dead and sends him into a downward spiral. His days now an endless haze of alcohol and prescription drugs, his daughter taken by Child Services and his home repossessed by the bank, Billy’s fate is all but sealed until a washed up former boxer named Tick agrees to take the bereaved pugilist under his wing so long as he agrees to his strict ethos. Relentless and utterly committed to a fighter that thinks as much as he throws punches, Tick rebuilds Billy into a new man: one that is agile, fearsome and uncompromising in the ring while thoughtful, loving and disciplined outside of it. Now, as he works to regain custody of his daughter and mounts a professional comeback, Billy must face his demons head-on as he learns that, sometimes, your greatest opponent can be yourself.
antoine fuqua jake gyllenhaal southpaw