This article is part ofScreenRant’s Exclusive 2025 Movie Preview. Keep an eye out for the full feature later this week!
A new image showcases Ving Rhames' character inUppercut. The upcoming 2025 sports drama was written and directed by Torsten Ruether, remaking his 2021 movieLeberhakenand transplanting the setting from Berlin to New York City. Original star Luise Großmann reprises her role as Toni, who is now a German immigrant to America, an aspiring boxer who is reluctantly trained by the cynical Elliott Duffond (Rhames, who is known for a variety of roles including starring in theMission: Impossiblemovies). The movie also adds a second timeline following her future career as a boxing manager.
ScreenRantcan now sharean exclusive first-look image fromUppercut. The image shows Ving Rhames wearing a hoodie and holding what appears to be a baseball while standing outside the boxing ring. It is unclear if the baseball will be used as an unconventional training technique that hearkens back to Mr. Miyagi’s unusual approach to martial arts training inThe Karate Kid. See the full-sized image below:
Ving Rhames Is Essential To Uppercut
The Movie Doesn’t Work Without His Character
While the main character ofUppercutis Toni,Ving Rhames' supporting role is essential to its success. Over the years,inspirational sports movieshave utilized their coach character - and especially that character’s relationship to the sport - to drive the overall emotional arc of the movie and the young hopefuls under their tutelage. While some of these characters are leads, in movies such asThe Way Back, they are just as important when the main character of the movie is the aspiring champion rather than the coach.
2020’sThe Way Backstars Ben Affleck as an alcoholic former basketball star who gets a job coaching his high school’s team.
From Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) in theKarate Kidfranchiseto Coach Boone (Denzel Washington) inRemember the Titans,these characters have become some of the most iconic in cinema. Thanks to being brought to life by a performance from a celebrated actor like Rhames, Elliott Duffond could eventually join their number. This image, which sees him becoming more encouraging though no less gruff, would seem to suggest that Duffond does have a major arc as he learns to embrace a love of the sport that he has long since lost, something that could help cement him in the pantheon.
Uppercut’s Release Could Be Perfectly Timed
There Has Been A Recent Boom In Inspiring Sports Dramas
Uppercutmay be perfectly poised to take advantage of a recent boom in inspiring sports dramas. Christmas Day sees the release of the buzzyThe Fire Inside, a biopic which follows a young boxer on the rise in Flint, Michigan. That will be followed in January by the Prime Video premiere ofUnstoppable, which adapts the real-life story of a championship wrestler with one leg. The fact that theLeberhakenremake arrives in February means thataudience’s appetites may already be whetted for this kind of story, and further interest could be driven by Rhames' presence.
Uppercut
Cast
Uppercut follows Elliott, an ex-boxing champion, as he trains Toni, leading to an unexpected alliance. Through their shared journey, Elliott imparts wisdom that true strength emerges from overcoming life’s formidable challenges.
