Pierce Brosnan (Mrs. Doubtfire, Mamma Mia, and the James Bond franchise) will star alongside Amir El-Masry (Rosewater, A Haunting in Venice, In Camera) in the thrilling sports drama Giant. The film will tell the inspiring true-life story of British-Yemeni boxer Prince Naseem “Naz” Hamed, who rose from humble beginnings to become World Champion under the training of Irish-born boxing coach Brendan Ingle.
Written and directed by Rowan Athale (“Gangs of London,” Strange But True), Giant is the true story of Hamed’s (El-Masry ) early days on the tough working-class streets of Sheffield and his discovery by Ingle (Brosnan), himself a steel industry worker turned boxing trainer. Their unlikely partnership along with Naz’ unorthodox style, cocky persona and sheer dominance in the ring, propelled them to the top of boxing’s elite and unprecedented levels of global superstardom, all in the face of the rampant Islamophobia and racism of ‘80s and ‘90s Britain.
With the original plan being to shoot all interiors in Malta, the project will now film entirely in the UK, with shooting set to begin in Leeds, England at the end of this month. This change comes as one of the first productions to relocate under the recently enacted Independent Film Tax Credit announced by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.
The film is produced by Mark Lane of Tea Shop Productions and Kevin Sampson of White Star Productions, as announced today by AGC Chairman and CEO Stuart Ford, who will also produce.
AGC Studios and BondIt Media Capital are financing the film.
On board to executive produce are Sylvester Stallone and Braden Aftergood of Balboa Productions, AGC Studios’ Miguel Palos and Zach Garrett, BondIt’s Matthew Helderman, Luke Taylor and Tyler Gould, Michael Ewing and True Brit’s Zygi Kamasa.
Zygi Kamasa’s True Brit Entertainment has taken UK distribution rights with AGC International handling international sales on the title.
Commenting on the script, Zygi Kamasa, CEO of True Brit Entertainment said: “Rowan has written a brilliantly entertaining boxing Biopic, that spotlights the incredible relationship between Hamed and his trainer Brendan Ingle, and showcases the hugely entertaining style that took “Naz” to global super stardom as world featherweight champion. Dramatic, visceral and inspiring with incredible boxing scenes, this is exactly the kind of British film audiences want to see in the cinema and we’re thrilled to be filming in the UK following the new tax credit being introduced to the industry.”
UK Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said: “Our new tax breaks for independent film announced in the Budget are already having a clear impact, attracting a production that would otherwise lose out on everything our creative industries have to offer. We introduced more generous tax reliefs to create the right environment for indies to thrive. We are delivering on our plan to generate more opportunities for our skilled creatives, and making Britain one of the best places in the world to make films.”
Pierce Brosnan is represented by CAA’s Rick Kurtzman and HJTH’s Stewart Brookman, Amir El-Masry is represented by Ollie Azis at Independent Talent Group and Rowan Athale is represented by Tom Lassally at 3 Arts Entertainment and Mady Niel at 42. EVP of Legal & Business Affairs Anant Tamirisa is representing AGC Studios on the project.
