A new Muhammad Ali movie is happening with Nicholas Pinnock (For Life) attached to star as the world-famous boxing legend. Called A God Amongst Men, the film also stars Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who) and will be directed by James Newton (2:Hrs). The screenplay was co-written by Newton and Ian Skelton (Hey Duggee) and is inspired by the true story of Ali visiting Tyneside, England, in 1977.

Adam Rolston and David Braithwaite are producing for Studio Pictures. Bob Clarke and Picnik Entertainment’s Nicola Pearcey are executive producing. The plan is to start pre-production in August and wrap filming by the end of the year, presumably for a 2023 release.

“A God Amongst Men is based upon the true story of how one man, Johnny Walker, outrageously claimed that he would bring Muhammad Ali to Tyneside in 1977 to save a boxing club from closure,” Newton said of the film, per Variety. “Johnny was instantly ridiculed and he became a laughing stock. But Johnny didn’t give up on his dream. He found the people to help make the impossible possible.”

Related: Netflix’s Blood Brothers Trailer Explores Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali’s Friendship and Fallout

Muhammad Ali’s Life Story Has Inspired Many Projects

Over the decades, there have been many stories told based on Muhammad Ali’s life and career. He famously played himself in the 1977 film The Greatest as well as the animated series adaptation I Am the Greatest: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali. A variety of actors have also played Ali in different film and TV projects, notably Will Smith with his Oscar-nominated performance in the hit 2001 biopic Ali.

In recent years, there have also been many new projects announced to further explore the Muhammad Ali story. Last year, Michael B. Jordan announced his plans to develop The Greatest as a limited series for HBO Max. Jordan spoke about how much of an honor it was to be involved with the project. As he told Deadline at the time:

“It’s an incredible honor and I bring tons of respect to it. It’s a project where we’ve partnered with the estate and we’ll be able to tell this story with no red tape. It’s a limited series that will really dive into the life of Muhammad Ali. I’m not going to be too specific beyond that, but we’ll be able to get to know him in ways we haven’t had a chance to before. I’m really excited about it, as a boxing enthusiast and since this is the world I’ve been living in the past five or six years with the Creed franchise.”

It was also reported in 2020 that a separate Muhammad Ali biopic is in the works. Shola Amoo was announced as the director for the biopic, which is said to be based on Leigh Montville’s book Sting Like a Bee: Muhammad Ali vs. The United States of America. That book provides an in-depth look at the everlasting implications of Ali refusing to serve in the military along with other key moments in his life that was “as high profile and transformative as any in the 20th century.”

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