Open Road Films today released an action-packed, emotionally charged trailer for Bleed for This, the new biopic about world champion boxer Vinny Pazienza’s (50-10, 30 KOs) epic career which featured world championships in multiple weight divisions and an epic comeback from a near-fatal car accident.
The film, highlighting Pazienza’s ascendancy as a fighter in the mid-1980s, his struggle to overcome the neck injury that nearly kept him out of the ring forever, and his rise to become world champion once again, will appeal to boxing purists and casual moviegoers alike.
The latest film by Open Road Films, the studio behind the multiple Academy Award-winning film Spotlight, boasts an all-star cast led by Miles Teller (Whiplash, Divergent series) as Pazienza. Teller is joined by Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight, Olympus Has Fallen) as legendary trainer Kevin Rooney, Ciarán Hinds (Munich, “Game of Thrones”) as Angelo Pazienza, Katey Sagal (“Sons of Anarchy”) as Louise Pazienza, and Amanda Clayton (John Carter) as Doreen Pazienza. Academy Award-winner Martin Scorsese serves as one of the film’s executive producers.
“I believe this will be one of the great boxing stories ever put to film,” said Pazienza. “The entire team’s commitment to authenticity and realism really pays off, and watching Miles Teller train makes me think he should try a few amateur bouts after this. I cannot wait to see how boxing fans react to the story and for people to watch it.”
The film begins with the meteoric rise of Pazienza, who quickly became a two-time world champion. Debuting in 1983, the Cranston, R.I. native won 23 of his first 24 fights and established himself as a power in the lightweight and junior middleweight divisions. Shortly after winning his second world title in October 1991, Pazienza was forced to relinquish the title after a serious car accident, in which he suffered a broken neck. Consulting with doctors and specialists, Pazienza was informed that he might never walk again – let alone fight.
Pazienza worked tirelessly, against doctors’ orders, to continue his training regimen after his accident, despite wearing a Halo metal brace screwed into his skull to keep his spine aligned. With the help of legendary trainer Kevin Rooney, Pazienza would spend the next year of his life training and rebuilding his strength to box again. He would return to the ring for an epic showdown with WBC World Junior Middleweight Champion Luis Santana to fight to regain his title and prove to the world that his injury did not defeat him.
Bleed for This is scheduled for a limited release on November 4, 2016, before expanding on November 23, 2016. Follow the conversation on social media using #BleedForThis.
