Old pals, Silvester Stallone and Robert De Niro are negotiating with Warner Bros. to star in Grudge Match, an allegedly humorous movie about retired pugilists who decide to strap the gloves back on for one final showdown.
It was The Wrap who broke the story that the project is expected to begin filming early next year with Peter Segal (Get Smart) attached to direct from a script currently being drafted by Entourage creator and exec producer Doug Ellin.
This wouldn't be the first time the two actors have worked together – the two have remained friends since working together in the 1997 crime drama Cop Land, an interesting urban twist on the classic western formula.
In addition, the two of the most iconic on-screen boxers scored career triumphs with Raging Bull and Rocky; Stallone wrote and starred in Rocky while De Niro played Jake La Motta in Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull.
However, De Niro will appear in three movies this year (Red Lights – July 13; The Wedding – October 19; Silver Linings Playbook – November 21) and has four more set for 2013 openings. Stallone will star in “The Expendables II,” set for release on August 17th, and has the Walter Hill actioner Bullet to the Head slated to hit theaters next February.
Therefore, neither has signed on yet, and neither actors have responded to requests for comments, so plans could change. I'm interested in seeing how this develops.
Stay tuned.
