If I gave you a massive budget to make a film about one boxer

I think he could definitely play the older Ray - but yes, not the youthful killer in boxing gloves. (Similar missed boat to Denzel Washington and the unmade biography of Al Green).

Leonard had an extremely driven personality type and a complex psyche that would make for a great movie, though, if done right.

 

true, my thoughts are money will beat us to it and make his own film and star in it too. He still looks 20something in that way that a lot of dark skinned people do in their forties so its feasible.

 

ah, this. or perhaps like mcenroe borg. no happy ending though.

 

Great post.

 

Agree, there were some serious errors, but he did the best he could. The biggest omissions for me in the Fellowship of the Rings, was no Tom Bombadil and no Glorfindel. They were prominent characters in the book and badass... Not sure how they were left off. One was to encourage a female-male love story somewhere where it wasn't in the book for more audience appeal... the other was left out for no apparent reason.

 

see cant even remember glorfindel in the LOTR book now. thats what changing the plot does, you rewrite in your head eventually.

Perhaps we should be thankful, if Glorf had turned up, he'd have been another Arnold Rimmer red dwarf clone talking whiny posh.

leaving out tim benzedrine was another can of worms, goodness, I am not even going down that road.

 

Fat City, Requiem For a Heavyweight, and The Champ aren't exactly rays of sunshine.

This content is protected

Hated the books. Loved the first movies. Tolkein's prose style was trash even if he had great plot elements and world building skills. Take his shitty prose away and give it the luxurious visual style that dozens of artists have been giving his novels for decades and suddenly the greatness is revealed. Wish he'd given Guillermo Del Toro the Hobbit films though. They blew.

 

Oliver McCall--- would be a very interesting story

 

i get you there, although they tended to be about the characters. perhaps theres no separating "character" and boxing, you need a dose of one to commit to a sport that could turn you into a cabbage.

not seen Fat city yet though, so no comment except to add it to my list, ta.

have to disagree about the books, it was Tolkien that painted the pictures with his words, without unnecessary aggrandisement. They are very longwinded though, and would put off anyone with their size unless you started out on it or other huge books in your youth (whch makes other books look "small" in your eyes, if you get me). Still takes a fair chug to get through it though, even if you duck the singsongs.

 

Calzaghe. If you're looking to make a comedy.

 

What if?

 

Bob Montgomery

 

Rocky Marciano because im a fanboy to death

Jack Johnson is a great pick. My #2 would be Stanley Ketchel. Dempsey needs a better movie too. Jersey Joe would be inspirational, alot like cinderella man

 

Arturo Frias!!!!!!

 

I think Sugar Ray Robinson. His story has so many layers to it. The boxing part, his personal demons. Most important his trailblazing as a buisnessman and a pioneer in negotiations. He knew his worth way before he was supposed to know his worth. That part to me is the most fascinating.
He would do things like not show up if he learned the fight was being broadcast in Europe because he didn't get a %. Ray even had a vision for PPV in the mid 50s. He wanted to put coin slots in TVs.
He was badass.