Sean Cronin, who will soon be stepping foot in J.K. Rowling’s world of witchcraft and wizardry for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them later this year, is attached to helm a boxing biopic based on the life and career of British middleweight fighter, Michael Watson.
Variety has the scoop, revealing that the feature now holds the title Michael, and will chart Watson’s gruelling recovery after he was knocked into a coma by Chris Eubank back in ’91. A landmark moment for the sport that witnessed the inimitable Muhammad Ali visit Watson’s bedside, Cronin’s big-screen rendition will also chronicle how the knockout affected the British Board of Boxing Control and, in particular, how the governing body altered the rules when it came to ringside medical care.
Spanning an intense court battle with the Board of Boxing Control to defying the odds to run the London marathon, Cronin’s Michael Watson biopic is certainly dripping with cinematic potential. Next on the calling card for the director’s Magnificent Films will be narrowing the search for a leading star to step into the ring as Watson.
In the meantime, Variety notes that Cronin himself is attached to direct via his Magnificent banner, along with Vic Armstrong, Terry Bamber and Robert Binnall. Former World Middleweight champion Steve Collins has agreed to oversee production as boxing advisor with Wade Eastwood.
As things stand, Cronin’s Michael Watson biopic is set to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee when principal photography fires up in August.
