We may never see Marshall Bruce Mathers III spearhead a film ever again, and in many ways, we don’t really need to. The controversial, Grammy-winning hip hop artist has likely proved all he needs to prove in that department by way of 8 Mile, and even if the name Eminem has the perennial ability to draw a crowd, it’s simply a difficult task to envision what the rapper’s acting range looks like.
In an alternate timeline, however, we may have gotten a better idea circa 2010, when David O. Russell’s The Fighter – a biopic centered on the early career of welterweight boxing champion Micky Ward – first hit theaters.
Star and producer Mark Wahlberg brought the fighter to life in the film, which would go on to net him a Best Picture nomination at the 83rd Academy Awards, but, according to producer Todd Lieberman in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, there had been some serious early talks about slotting Eminem into the role of Ward, even revealing that the rapper was their first choice.
“The first person that we thought would star in this film was Eminem. Eminem was going to be Micky Ward.”
He would go on to reveal that the extensive momentum of 8 Mile, released in 2002, was chiefly what made the idea possible for both the producers and Eminem himself.
“That was a moment in time where he had come off of 8 Mile, and he was interested in making movies, and he wanted to do a boxing movie. So that was something we pursued for a minute. And there was real life in that for a minute.”
Of course, the role ultimately went to Wahlberg, as previously mentioned, and judging by how competitive the 2011 Oscars ceremony ended up being (competitive for everyone except the The King’s Speech, that is), we doubt the producers look back on that decision with regret.
Published: Feb 17, 2023 05:09 am