Giant (2025 film)

Giant
UK theatrical release poster
Directed byRowan Athale
Written byRowan Athale
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyLarry Smith
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • True Brit Entertainment (United Kingdom)
  • Vertical (United States)
Release dates
Running time
110 minutes[1]
CountriesUnited Kingdom
United States
LanguageEnglish

Giant is a 2025 biographical sports drama film written and directed by Rowan Athale, based on the relationship between boxer Naseem Hamed and his trainer Brendan Ingle. It stars Amir El-Masry as Hamed and Pierce Brosnan as Ingle.

A British and American co-production, the film premiered at the 2025 BFI London Film Festival, and was released in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2026.[2]

Cast

Production

Development

The film is written and directed by Rowan Athale. AGC Studios were in development on the project in 2020.[3] It was moving forward in January 2023, with Paddy Considine and Mena Massoud set to star.[4]

Sylvester Stallone and Braden Aftergood are among the executive producers through Balboa Productions. It is produced by Mark Lane of Tea Shop Productions and Kevin Sampson of White Star Productions. AGC Studios and BondIt Media Capital are financing the film. AGC chairman and CEO Stuart Ford will also produce. [5]

Casting

In April 2024 Amir El-Masry and Pierce Brosnan were cast as Prince Naseem and his coach Brendan Ingle.[6] Later that month Katherine Dow Blyton, Austin Haynes, Rocco Haynes and Arian Nik joined the cast.[7]

Filming

Principal photography began in Leeds in April 2024.[8][9] First look images from the set were reported in April 2024, showing Brosnan in character.[10]

Release

Theatrical

Giant premiered at the 2025 BFI London Film Festival.[11] The film was released in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2026.[2] It is then scheduled to be released in the United States by Vertical in 2026.[12]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 61% based on reviews from 18 critics.[13]

Subjects' response

Hamed stated that the film was fictional and did not accurately represent true events, in particular the breakdown of his relationship with Brendan Ingle. He also stated that the movie was portrayed moreso from Ingle's perspective and not just his own. According to Hamed he had no involvement or input during the production, only viewing it after completion. He said "although the film was 'difficult to watch', how can I not back it? It just put a smile on my face. It didn't go full out to how I would have wanted because there was none of my input, but thank God, it's nice when they do a movie you about you though, innit?". Hamed planned to release his own documentary series to present his side of the story, with Mark Wahlberg interested in being involved.[14][15][16]

References

  1. ^ "Giant (2026)". Irish Film Classification Office. October 10, 2025. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "All Future Releases". Film Distributors’ Association. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
  3. ^ Kay, Jeremy (October 21, 2020). "Courtney Love, Prince Naseem projects on maiden White Star Productions slate (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  4. ^ Ravindran, Manori (January 25, 2023). "Paddy Considine, Mena Massoud Headline Boxing Drama 'Giant,' Based on True Story of Naseem Hamed". Variety. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  5. ^ Barraclough, Leo (April 15, 2024). "Pierce Brosnan, Amir El-Masry Join AGC's Biopic of Boxer Prince Naseem Hamed 'Giant,' Sylvester Stallone to Executive Produce". Variety. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  6. ^ Akinwumi, Stella (April 15, 2024). "Pierce Brosnan, Amir El-Masry cast in Prince Naseem boxing biopic Giant". Radio Times. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  7. ^ Mensah, Katelyn (April 29, 2024). "Emmerdale icon unrecognisable as she undergoes unreal transformation for new film". Metro. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  8. ^ "Pierce Brosnan to play Irish boxing trainer Brendan Ingle in 'Prince' Naseem Hamed biopic". RTE. April 15, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  9. ^ "Naseem Hamed boxing biopic begins filming in Sheffield". Theknowledgeonline. April 17, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  10. ^ Zammit, Erin (April 25, 2024). "First look at Pierce Brosnan's transformation for new movie". Digital Spy. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  11. ^ Dunne, Sarah J. (September 23, 2025). "BFI London Film Festival 2025: Irish films to feature". IFTN. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  12. ^ Matt, Grobar (July 29, 2025). "Pierce Brosnan Boxing Pic 'Giant' From Executive Producer Sylvester Stallone Acquired By Vertical". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  13. ^ "Giant (2025) | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  14. ^ "The Prince Naseem Hamed Interview | 'GIANT' The Movie". January 9, 2025. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  15. ^ Domin, Martin (January 9, 2026). "Prince Naseem Hamed issues brutal verdict on film about his career". Daily Mirror. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
  16. ^ "Naseem Hamed on biopic 'Giant': 'It's not easy watching a movie you had nothing to do with'". RingMagazine.com. January 9, 2026. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_(upcoming_film)