Pierce Brosnan is to portray Dublin-born boxing trainer Brendan Ingle in Giant, a new biopic about former world featherweight champion 'Prince' Naseem Hamed.
US entertainment publication Deadline reports that Amir El-Masry (A Haunting in Venice, SAS: Rogue Heroes, Industry) will star as Naseem 'Naz' Hamed opposite Brosnan in the film, which is written and directed by Rowan Athale (The Rise, Gangs of London, Strange But True).
The biopic is due to begin filming in Leeds later this month with Sylvester Stallone among the executive producers through his company Balboa Productions.
The synopsis for Giant reads: "Giant is the true story of Hamed's humble beginnings on the tough working-class streets of Sheffield and his discovery by Ingle, himself a steel industry worker turned boxing trainer.
"Their unlikely partnership, along with Naz' unorthodox style, cocky persona, and sheer dominance in the ring, propelled them to the top of boxing's elite and unprecedented levels of global superstardom, all in the face of the rampant Islamophobia and racism of 80s and 90s Britain."
Brendan Ingle, who trained numerous world and European champions, died in Sheffield in May 2018 after a brain haemorrhage. He was 77.
Paying tribute after Brendan Ingle's death, Naseem Hamed said: "I can honestly say that if it were not for Brendan Ingle, I would not have achieved all I did in the sport of boxing."
