Hugh Jackman, who just opened on Broadway in “A Steady Rain,” is in talks to star onscreen in the Shawn Levy-directed “Real Steel” for DreamWorks.
Pic is a Rocky-with-robots saga, with Jackman negotiating to play an ex-fighter who becomes a promoter when human boxing is outlawed for being too violent. The new gladiators are 2,000-pound robots with human qualities. The ex-fighter's access to substandard robot parts hampers his hopes for glory in Robot Boxing, until he discovers a discarded robot that always seems to win.
Pic is being produced by Angry Films’ Don Murphy and Susan Montford. The executive producers are Steven Spielberg and ImageMovers troika Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey. Levy is also a producer.
