Pierce Brosnan and Amir El-Masry have been cast in the lead roles in the upcoming Prince Naseem Hamed biopic, Giant.
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Based on the true story of the featherweight champion, the movie will explore the life of Prince Naseem 'Naz' Hamed and his "rags to riches ascent to a World Championship under the tutelage of his Irish-born boxing trainer Bernard Ingle".
El-Masry, who may be recognised from his role as the younger version of Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed in The Crown, will play Naz, while Brosnan (Mamma Mia!) will portray Ingle.
The film will be written and directed by Rowan Athale (Gangs of London) and produced by Mark Lane of Tea Shop Productions and Kevin Sampson of White Star productions.
Sylvester Stallone and Braden Aftergood of Balboa Productions will also executive produce.
Sylvester Stallone and Naseem Hamed at the Sky Champions of Sport event in 1996. Dave Benett/Getty Images
According to the official synopsis, Giant tells the true story of Hamed's "humble beginnings on the tough working-class streets of Sheffield and his discovery by Ingle, himself a steel industry worker turned boxing trainer".
It continues: "Their unlikely partnership, along with Naz's 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."
It was previously reported that Paddy Considine (House of the Dragon) and Mena Massoud (Aladdin) had signed on to star, but it appears that is no longer the case.
Zygi Kamasa, CEO of True Brit Entertainment, said of the film: "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."
Katelyn Mensah is the Entertainment and Factual Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
