Ang Lee has wanted to make a film based around the classic "Thrilla In Manila" brawl between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, and after a couple of years of floating in development limbo, it appears close to stepping back into the ring with David Oyelowo the top choice to play Frazier.
Variety brings word that while there is no offer involved yet, Oyelowo is Lee’s pick for the part in the film, which has a script from Peter Morgan. It aims to explore the world of boxing in the 1970s at the height of the sport’s popularity and the clash between two of the most successful and charismatic fighters of their time meeting for the final deciding match.
Initially picked up by Universal, the project stalled, prompting Lee to go off and shoot Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, which will be out in the UK on November 11 next year. But with former Warner Bros. executive Jeff Robinov and his Studio 8 company stepping in to resurrect it, the untitled boxing film will end up at Sony, where Studio 8 has a deal. Lee is looking to keeping testing himself as a filmmaker, and will present the drama and the pugilism in 3D, throwing moviegoers into the ring with the fighters.