Sydney Sweeney’s fast-moving career has been chaotic for the past few years, but lately, she has purposefully been taking a breather another busy stretch. That time off has included posting a “thirst trap” and, presumably, hitting the gym hard (to get jacked, obviously) for upcoming filming on her boxing movie. This film will be a biopic of prizefighter Christy Martin, the pop-culturally dubbed “Female Rocky” boxer who ruled the 1990s welterweight circuit, and a clue indicates that the movie will arrive before Euphoria‘s third season, which will be filming at a later date. Sorry, Syd’s upcoming projects do not include that rumored Glen Powell re-teaming for The Running Man remake.
Sweeney also insists that her Barbarella reboot will surface, but before that happens, she will be getting into the ring in fighting shape, so let’s get down with what we can expect.
Plot
Christy Martin in 2003 prior to fighting Laili Ali in Biloxi, Mississippi
Christy Martin’s story will not be a straightforward trajectory to victory. A casting notice reveals the film’s working title, Apopka, which suggests that her personal life will be a significant part of the story. Indeed, Apopka is the Florida city where Martin was shot in 2010 by her then-husband and manager, Jim Martin, who shot and maimed his wife after she informed him that their marriage was over. Despite being a champ in the ring and Don King’s first female signee, Christy endured years of emotional and physical abuse by Jim, who was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to 25 years.
Filming will reportedly take place in late September through mid November, and the film will be directed by David Michôd (Animal Kingdom, War Machine, Hesher), who cast Sweeney after seeing her true-crime turn in HBO’s Reality. For her part, Sweeney has years of experience in kickboxing and is “itching” to “transform my body.” She also called this role “physically and emotionally demanding, there’s a lot of weight to carry. But I love challenging myself.”
Martin has spoken about her domestic abuse ordeal, and both CBS News and The Guardian have reported at length about her physical injuries, as has ESPN, which has (you were warned) an incredibly graphic description along with an account by Christy’s mother about her arrival at the hospital:
Joyce says that when she was at last able to lay eyes on her daughter, it took her breath away. “She had tubes running everywhere, stitches all over her head, on her face. It’s something you never forget.”
Joyce was relieved when she learned Martin was able to speak. The first thing her daughter said to her? “I told you he was crazy, Mom.”
Earlier in their marriage, Jim had punched Martin in the mouth so hard her tooth pierced through her lip. The day it happened, Martin went to the bathroom to clean herself up. As she blotted her face, a few spots of blood dripped onto an obscured section of the wall. Martin decided to leave them there. For years, she’d carefully clean around the bloodstains, taking care not to erase them. Proof of life.
For the upcoming Black Bear and Anonymous Content film, Mirrah Foulkes and Michôd co-wrote the script, and Michôd summarized his approach to the film:
“The film is about Christy as a young gay woman in small-town West Virginia in the 1990s. She came from a relatively conservative family and wasn’t allowed to be who she was so she used boxing as a vehicle to express herself and her rage. She had to make some dangerous and fundamental compromises in her life, the most important of which was marrying an incredibly dangerous man.”
Cast
Sweeney as Martin is the only role that has been publicly confirmed. The actor who will portray Jim Martin hasn’t been disclosed, and ideally, we’ll also see a Don King portrayal.
Release Date
With filming scheduled to be complete before the end of 2024, we can bet on a 2025 arrival, likely with festival premieres leading up to the main event. Should we guess fall-winter 2025? Sure.
Trailer
Since filming is around the corner, we will make do with two interviews, including Sweeney telling Women’s Health that it’s important to stay fit because it’s “really fun to be able to kick a guy’s ass.”
The second interview includes Sweeney’s statements on overcoming her past body dysmorphia, and (whether or not she realizes it), there’s some serious role-model-ing going on here.
(@kelculbgib)