From Southpaw to Creed, Hands of Stone to Ben Younger’s Bleed For This, Hollywood’s boxing genre is witnessing something of a mini resurgence, with audiences flocking to gritty biopics that chart the rise (and potential fall) of those brave fighters that stepped into the ring.
Next in line to receive that spotlight is Vinny Pazienza (AKA The Pazmanian Devil), a fierce World Champion boxer whose remarkable comeback story will underpin Younger’s upcoming feature, Bleed For This. It’s one that places Whiplash breakout Miles Teller in the star role, and the blistering first trailer has now landed online ahead of the movie’s November bow.
Chronicling Vinny’s inspiring turnaround following a near-fatal car crash – one which left him nursing a severed spin on the sidelines – the arc of Bleed For This simply defies belief.
After enlisting renowned trainer Kevin Rooney (Aaron Eckhart) to steer him onto the road to recovery, Teller’s brawler goes on to reclaim his belt against just about every odd in the book, and if you’re sensing a strong Martin Scorsese vibe from today’s reveal trailer you’re on the right track: Scorsese holds an executive producer credit on the sports biopic.
Also starring Katey Sagal, Ciarán Hinds, Aaron Eckhart, Ted Levine, Kimberly Howe and Amanda Clayton, Miles Teller will don the gloves as The Pazmanian Devil when Bleed For This opens in theaters on November 4. Then, it’ll go toe-to-toe with both Doctor Strange and DreamWorks’ big-screen rendition of Trolls.
BLEED FOR THIS is the incredible true story of one of the most inspiring and unlikely comebacks in sports history. Miles Teller (Whiplash, Divergent) stars as Vinny “The Pazmanian Devil” Pazienza, a local Providence boxer who shot to stardom after winning 2 world title fights. After a near-fatal car accident leaves Vinny with a severed spine, doctors tell him he may never walk again. With the help of renowned trainer Kevin Rooney (Aaron Eckhart), Vinny becomes a legend when he not only walks again, but miraculously returns to the ring to reclaim his title belt only a year after the accident.
