Ice Cube has signed on to play Jason Crutchfield, the coach of Olympic boxing champ Claressa ‘T-Rex’ Shields, in Universal’s upcoming boxing drama, Flint Strong.
Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rachel Morrison (Mudbound) will make her feature directorial debut from a script by Oscar-winning writer Barry Jenkins (Moonlight), while Michael De Luca (The Social Network) will produce.
That’s a pretty impressive collection of talent, and the film is also based on strong source material – the 2015 documentary T-Rex. Actress/singer is already on board Ryan Destiny to play Shields, who emerged from Flint, Michigan to become the first woman in history to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing. The studio acquired her life rights and the rights to the documentary back in 2016.
Ice Cube hasn’t been seen on the silver screen sine the 2017 comedy Fist Fight. He does have the romantic drama Covers lined up – also at Universal, coincidentally – which is set in the music industry and stars Dakota Johnson and Tracee Ellis Ross.
While many of his previous roles are comedy based, Cube should excel as a hard-nosed, no-nonsense boxing coach. And considering the talent on display both in front and behind the camera, Flint Strong has every chance to be a great sports drama and potential awards contender down the line.
#Peace.Love.FlintStrong
