House of the Dragon lead actor Paddy Considine is set to star in an upcoming boxing drama, Giant, produced by Sylvester Stallone. Considine starred as King Viserys Targaryen in House of the Dragon, the spinoff prequel series to Game of Thrones. His character was the King of the Seven Kingdoms, and his actions in season 1 of the show led to the ultimate demise of the realm and the Targaryen family. The actor also recently appeared in Peaky Blinders as Father John Hughes.
According to a report from Deadline, Paddy Considine will star in Sylvester Stallone’s upcoming boxing drama. The House of the Dragon actor’s involvement in the project was announced alongside the casting of Mena Massoud. Massoud is known for his work in the 2019 live-action version of Aladdin, in which he played the titular character. In a statement released with the casting news, Giant director Rowan Athale said that the film has been in the works for many years, as he has been waiting to bring the story of boxing trainer Brendan Ingle and his protégé, Naseem, for some time. Check out Athale’s full comments on the film below.
“I have wanted to bring this movie to screen for many years. The story of fabled boxing trainer Brendan Ingle and his tempestuous relationship with protege “Prince” Naseem is both legendary and truly cinematic. It’s exciting, necessary, hilarious, and heartbreaking, and to be making this movie with the incomparable Paddy Considine and Mena Massoud, and with the support of the one and only Sylvester Stallone and his Balboa Productions team, is a dream come true.”
Everything We Know About Giant
The announcement of Giant getting the green light is the first bit of real information that has been released about the upcoming project, but it offers some important details. Paddy Considine is coming off of one of the most beloved performances of 2022 with his painful portrayal of King Viserys Targaryen. Much of Viserys’ life within House of the Dragon tasked the character with desperately holding onto all the important people and pieces in his life that were always destined to eventually break apart. His example is imprinted on his daughter, Rhaenyra, and it looks like Considine will be in a similar leadership or mentorship role in Giant.
Giant is now the seventh Sylvester Stallone-produced project in development through his Balboa Productions production company. According to the film’s synopsis, the biopic is based on the true-life story of British-Yemeni boxer Prince Naseem “Naz” Hamed (Massoud) and his rags-to-riches ascent to a world championship under the guidance of his Irish boxing trainer, Brendan Ingle (Considine). It will follow Hamed from his humble beginnings on the working-class streets of Sheffield, England, and his discovery by Ingle. Ingle is a steel industry worker turned boxing trainer. The film will also tackle the rampant societal issues of the1980s and ’90s Britain, including rampant Islamophobia and racism.
Giant will continue Sylvester Stallone’s storied history of boxing films. Though the veteran performer and filmmaker isn’t expected to be in the film in any meaningful capacity, his presence behind the scenes should be felt through what happens on the screen. Stallone most recently produced and starred in the Paramount original streaming series, Tulsa King. The ten-episode crime-drama series received mostly positive reviews, which adds a little bit more excitement to the iconic actor’s newest project. No timeframe has been given as to the scheduled release of Giant, but with casting announcements underway, production should start to ramp up soon.
Source: Deadline