Cannes kicks off today and while everyone will be keeping their eyes on the screening schedule at the Palais, the marketplace will be buzzing with new projects as wheeling and dealing is underway to get these movies moving.
One project up for grabs is “The Bleeder” set to star Liev Schreiber, his partner Naomi Watts and Christina Hendricks. Set to be directed by Jeff Feuerzeig, the filmmaker behind the excellent documentary “The Devil And Daniel Johnson,” the film “is based on the true story of former New Jersey heavyweight boxer and womanizer Chuck Wepner who boxed 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali.” That famous 1975 fight found Wepner able to train completely before a match for the first time in his career, but found him still handily beat by Ali. However, his gutsy performance in the fifteen round fight inspired a young guy named Sylvester Stallone who would be inspired to write a little movie called “Rocky.” You can watch the fight online right here.
We presume Schreiber will take lead role, but no word yet on exactly who Watts or Hendricks will play. Jerry Stahl (“Permanent Midnight“) co-wrote the script with Feuerzeig and while there is not production schedule in place, should the project pick up steam, we’d guess producers will want it to roll before Hendricks is due back on the set of “Mad Men” later this year. [Variety]
