Bruce Willis Joins Boxing Drama Cornerman

Bruce Willis doesn't often play real-life people, but he's snagged a new role to do just that in Cornerman, which will document the professional relationship and friendship between boxing trainer Cus D'Amato and Mike Tyson.

Rupert Friend, better known for appearing in front of the camera on shows such as Homeland, will step behind it for his directorial debut, working from a script he wrote. The drama is set in the 1980s, with D'Amato training some of the pugilism world's biggest champions. At the top of his game, he discovered a new talent in a 13-year-old Tyson.

"Ultimately, this is a story about a deep love between two ferocious talents, each brave enough to admit their fears to the other, and so spur one another to greatness," Friend said in a statement picked up by Variety. "It is a story about fighting for what you believe in, and a film that will make you question what strength really is."

With cameras set to roll in the autumn, the film will be touted to buyers at the Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off this week.