Soderbergh to helm Knockout

Posted on September 7, 2009
Filed Under Actresses, Directors, TV show

This piece of news may at first seem very ordinary and mainstream but… There’s more to this story than meets the eye. Variety reports that Steven Soderbergh has committed to direct “Knockout,” a spy thriller that will mark the screen starring debut of Gina Carano, the mixed martial arts circuit fighter. Say what? She has got a very slim acting experience, but apparently excels in fighting. OK… But I hear she looks good so that will of course be a big plus in the movie industry. A bold move from Soderbergh. Very bold.  Soderbergh will hopefully (probably) surround Carano with more familiar names in supporting roles.

“Knockout” casts Carano as a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who is given a second chance to use her skills for constructive purposes. The film is a closer cousin to “La Femme Nikita” and “Kill Bill” than “Million Dollar Baby,” in that it doesn’t take place in the fight ring. Rather, Soderbergh considers the film as a flat out action film in the James Bond mold, and will shoot in locations around the world that include Ireland, Turkey and the U.S.

The MMA circuit is where Soderbergh discovered Carano, a lightweight division slugger with movie star good looks. The Muay Thai-trained fighter has compiled a 7-1 record. Though Carano suffered her first loss in a title fight last month, she is considered the face of the fledgling women’s mixed martial arts fighting circuit.

Carano so far has appeared as herself in the documentary “Ring Girls” and the Oxygen reality series “Fight Girls.” She also served a stint as Crush on NBC’s “American Gladiators,” and had a role in the upcoming action film “Blood and Bone.” Soderbergh plans a late January production start.

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