Jake Gyllenhaal is Totally Jacked in First 'Southpaw' Image

Actors undergoing physical transformations is nothing new anymore, and it seems to be a sure way to get the attention of awards voters. One need only look at how going frail worked in Matthew McConaughey's favor last year in Dallas Buyers Club. Another actor in the midst of a career resurgence is Jake Gyllenhaal, who has completely reinvented himself with End of Watch, Prisoners, Enemy, and this year's Nightcrawler which saw him drop a ton of weight until he looked sickly. But what may be more amazing is the complete 180 he's pulled since then, as he is completely ripped in this first image from Antoine Fuqua's boxing drama, Southpaw.

It's an amazing turnaround for Gyllenhaal, and Fuqua had nothing but high praise for the work he put into training his body. Fuqua tells Deadline...

"I asked this guy from day one, ‘I need you in the gym every day. I need you to train every day.’ And I said, ‘The word is sacrifice.’ Literally. I think he broke up with his girlfriend because he was just in the gym every day. He was training like a fighter. I had him sparring, really getting hit. I put him in situations where I wanted to see what he was made of. No one but fighters understand the sacrifice it takes to be a fighter.”

That's a Hell of a commitment but the results can't be disputed. After a troubled start, Southpaw seems to be shaping up just as nicely as Gyllenhaal's abs. Penned by Sons of Anarchy's Kurt Sutter with Rachel McAdams and Forest Whitaker co-starring, the film centers on a troubled lefty middleweight who loses everything in his personal and professional life, and must literally fight for redemption.

Southpaw is expected to open in 2015. 

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Naomie Harris Laces Up for 'Southpaw'; Lizzy Caplan and Jillian Bell Join Christmas Comedy

Any movie about the sweet science of boxing deserves a tough as nails cast, and now Antoine Fuqua's Southpaw has added Skyfall and 28 Days Later star Naomie Harris. She joins Jake Gyllenhaal in the film about a lefty fighter whose personal life crumbles as he battles towards the welterweight championship. Harris was last seen in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. [Deadline]

Masters of Sex star Lizzy Caplan, along with 22 Jump Street's Jillian Bell, have joined Jonathan Levine's untitled Christmas comedy. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, and Anthony Mackie star in the film about three friends who reunite in New York City for their annual tradition of going out on the town during Christmas Eve. [Deadline]

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Jared Leto Eyes 'Brilliance'; Victor Ortiz Laces Up for 'Southpaw'; Emilia Clarke Joins 'Voice from the Stone'

* When Will Smith dropped out of the sci-fi adaptation Brilliance, basically to star in Ridley Scott's untitled concussion drama, it left a big starpower gap left to be filled. Neither Noomi Rapace or director Julius Onah could do it, but maybe Oscar-winner Jared Leto can? Leto is being sought to replace Smith in the film, based on Marcus Sakey's book set in a world where a small group of people known as "brilliants" are born with extraordinary powers. Leto would play a gifted federal agent who uses his powers to track down another brilliant trying to start a civil war through terrorist acts. [Deadline]

*Former welterweight champ Victor Ortiz is bringing his boxing expertise to Southpaw, the Antonie Fuqua-directed drama on the sweet science. Jake Gyllenhaal will star as a leftie boxer who climbs the championship ranks while his personal life falls apart. Rachel McAdams and Forest Whitaker co-star, with Ortiz as a flyweight with real sparring potential. Ortiz will be seen later this year in The Expendables 3. Boxers who become solid actors are a rarity, but Ortiz's career is already better than what Fernando Vargas was able to put together. [Deadline]

* Between Game of Thrones and Terminator reboot Emilia Clarke probably doesn't have a lot of time for much else, and yet that hasn't stopped her from joining the psychological thriller, Voice from the Stone.  Eric D. Howell will make his directorial debut on the adaptation of Silvio Raffo's book La Voce Della Pietra, which is set in the 1950s and follows "a nurse who is helping a boy through the trauma of his mother’s sudden death. As she works with the troubled child, she becomes ensnared by a malevolent force inside the family’s castle." Why doesn't she just summon one of her dragons?  Filming is set to begin this fall. [THR]

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Rachel McAdams and Lupita Nyong'o Sought for Boxing Drama, 'Southpaw'

The previous problems faced by long-developing boxing drama Southpaw are well-documented. It began as a project for Eminem to star in, and has a few directors circling it. But the film began to pick up steam when Jake Gyllenhaal was confirmed for the lead role and Antoine Fuqua, who had been on board before, settling in to the director's chair. And now it's time to start putting the rest of the cast together.

Deadline reports that Rachel McAdams is being eyed for the female lead with Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o (still kind of in the mix for a Star Wars role) in a supporting role. Conceived by Kurt Sutter (Sons of Anarchy), the story follows a leftie welterweight boxer who must overcome adversity to fight his way to the title. At the same time he'll try to win back the love of his daughter. Forest Whitaker is set to play Gyllenhaal's trainer, with Nyong'o as a social worker caring for his child.

We'll see where this goes, but first Richard Wenk (The Equalizer) needs to finish rewriting the script. 

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Gabriel Basso Finds 'The Whole Truth'; Juno Temple Joins 'Black Mass'; 'Southpaw' Adds Forest Whitaker

* The Kings of Summer's Gabriel Basso has taken a lead role in The Whole Truth, a courtroom drama starring Daniel Craig, Renee Zellwegger, and possibly Lupita Nyong'o. Courtney Hunt is directing the Nicholas Kazan script about a defense attorney trying to get his teenaged client (Basso) acquitted of murdering his wealthy father. [Deadline]

* Juno Temple and rising star Jesse Plemons (The Master) have joined Johnny Depp in Black Mass, the Whitey Bulger biopic directed by Scott Cooper. Depp plays the infamous Boston gangster who, with the help of a childhood friend and federal agent played by Joel Edgerton, escaped the feds and went on the run for 16 years, ranking at the top of the FBI's Most Wanted List. Temple will play a prostitute while Plemons is on board as a member of Bulger's inner circle.

* Now that Antoine Fuqua and Jake Gyllenhaal have finally got the boxing drama Southpaw headed to the ring, it's time to fill out the supporting cast. Lacing up the gloves will be Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker, playing Titus "Tick" Willis, a former pro forced to retire after losing an eye, and quit training fighters after his son was killed. Gyllenhaal stars as a left-handed boxer who wins the title early, but suffers a tragedy and loses everything. Now he must fight to regain what was lost, including the love of his daughter.

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Jake Gyllenhaal and Antoine Fuqua Confirmed for Boxing Drama 'Southpaw'

Ding ding ding! The opening bell has finally rung on long-developing boxing drama, Southpaw. Its complicated history has been well-documented here, but it began as the brainchild of Kurt Sutter (Sons of Anarchy), with rapper Eminem set for the lead role and Antoine Fuqua directing. For various reasons Fuqua and Eminem dropped out, the project changed hands and ended up with Weinstein. Fuqua resurfaced last year when Jake Gyllenhaal suddenly became attached, and now the project is ready to get rolling.

Deadline reports Southpaw will begin shooting this summer, with confirmations on Fuqua and Gyllenhaal. The story is your basic hard-luck hometown boy makes good tale, centering on a lefty welterweight who climbs the championship ranks while his personal life is in turmoil and he tries to win back the love of his daughter. You can see why Eminem was targeted for this one as it has an 8 Mile sort of feel to it, but Gyllenhaal should be able to fill the role just fine. As the above Prince of Persia image shows, he knows how to throw a good punch.

The search is on for someone to take the other lead, that of Titus "Tick" Willis, a former boxer forced to retire after losing an eye, and quit as a pro trainer when his son was killed. Heavy stuff.

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Jake Gyllenhaal Laces Up the Gloves for 'Southpaw'

For a time the boxing drama Southpaw was looking like one of the most promising projects making its way through Hollywood. The film was to bring Eminem back to the big screen in the starring role, marking his first lead since 2002's 8 Mile. Antoine Fuqua came on to direct, but shortly thereafter Eminem left, and along with him went Sony and MGM. The Weinstein Company swooped in to save it a few months ago, and now the film is back on with a brand new star.

Jake Gyllenhaal will step into the ring for Southpaw, which features a script by Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter. Set in Detroit (another reason Eminem was involved), the film centers on a promising left-handed welterweight fighter who overcomes personal tragedies in his quest for the championship. Along the way he'll also try to win back the respect of his young daughter. Gyllenhaal should have no trouble with the physical aspects, and if there's any doubt he can play gritty and streetwise one need look no further than Prisoners.

Filming is set to begin next year.[TheWrap]

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Antoine Fuqua's boxing drama 'Southpaw' picked up by The Weinstein Company

Even before he had signed on to direct Olympus Has Fallen, Antoine Fuqua had a ton of projects at various stages of development. The one that sounded the most promising for a time was Southpaw, a boxing drama initially pegged for Eminem to star, and it seemed like a natural fit. The film is basically 8 Mile with a pair of boxing gloves, but for whatever reason Sony and MGM couldn't get rolling on it, putting it on ice last spring.

But now The Weinstein Company have stepped in before the 10-count, snagging the rights to and pushing full steam ahead to begin production later this year. Eminem has since moved on, and casting talks to replace him are already underway. Written by Kurt Sutter (Sons of Anarcy), the story follows a lefty welterweight boxer who fights his way to the championship and wins back the love of his daughter while enduring personal tragedies.

We'll see if this finally happens, although with Fuqua's backlog of projects who knows if he'll even stay attached. He's got the heist film, Chicagoland; a Miles Davis biopic with Don Cheadle; an adaptation of Storming Las Vegas; a possible Chinese Tang Dynasty epic; and he's even been rumored for the 24 film. [LA Times]

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