Having carved out a niche in stately biopic territory with The Queen, Frost/Nixon and more, screenwriter Peter Morgan recently set foot on the Formula One track for Ron Howard‘s Rush. While one can read our thoughts on that Chris Hemsworth-led drama here, we’ve got a few updates on a couple of his upcoming projects today.
First up, he’s now confirmed to be scripting Ang Lee‘s Life of Pi follow-up, a currently untitled project that will see the helmer return to 3D, this time capturing the historic boxing matches between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Speaking with Daily Mail (via The Playlist), he shared a few more details, saying, “It’s a look at how brutal the confrontations were between Ali and Frazier. They were marked by how aggressive Ali was towards Frazier out of the ring. He taunted and belittled him.”
Set in the 1970’s, he says the director “wants to work with 3-D technology that will make an audience feel as if they’re inside the ring.” He added that the filmmaker “wants to use actual footage of the fights and incorporate whoever is cast to play the boxers into it.” It sounds like a fascinating approach, but don’t expect it for awhile. Morgan says the script will take until late next year to complete, so we’d expect a 2016 release at the earliest.
As for a Morgan-scripted drama that might arrive sooner, the producers behind the Freddie Mercury biopic seem to be having a hard trouble nailing down a lead (and a director, for that matter), but things are still moving ahead. With Sacha Baron Cohen out as our star, there were quickly discarded rumors that Daniel Radcliffe could take his place.
But now Latino Review has word that Dominic Cooper is being eyed for the role of the late Queen leader. We can certainly see some resemblance, but the project should hopefully find a director first before any casting gets confirmed. If he gets the gig, it could be some good news for Cooper, considering he has a slew of blockbuster options ahead, with Need for Speed, the Captain America sequel and a Dracula reboot.
What do you think of the new details on Ang Lee’s project? Would you want to see Cooper as Mercury?