Filmography Ali In 1964, a brash new pro boxer, fresh from his olympic gold medal victory, explodes on to the scene, Cassius Clay. Bold and outspoken, he cuts an entirely new image for African American's in sport with his proud public self confidence with his unapologetic belief that he is the greatest boxer of all time. To his credit, he sets out to prove that with his highly agile and forceful style soon making him a formidable boxer who soon claims the heavyweight championship. His personal life is no less noteworthy with his allegiance to the Nation of Islam, his friendship with the controversial Malcolm X and his abandonment of his slave name in favour of Muhammad Ali stirring up controversy. Yet, at the top of his game, both Ali's personal and professional lives face the ultimate test with the military draft rules are changed, making him eligible for military induction during the Vietnam War. Despite the fact that he could easily agree to a sweetheart deal that would have meant an easy tour of duty for himself, Ali refuses to submit on principle to cooperate in an unjust war for a racist nation that treated his people so poorly. The cost of that stand is high as he finds himself unable to legally box in his own country while his case is contested in court. What follows is a battle for a man who would sacrifice so much for what he believes in and a comeback that would cement his legend as one of the great sports figures of all time. US release date: December 25th, 2001. Trailers: Click Here Studio: Columbia Pictures. Genre: Drama. Director: Michael Mann. Screenwriter(s): Stephen J. Rivele, Chris Wilkinson. Budget: $107,000,000 (estimated.) US Boxoffice: $58,203,000 (US total.) Starring: Jamie Foxx Jon Voight Giancarlo Esposito Mario Van Peebles Jada Pinkett Smith Also starring: Ron Silver, Nona Gaye, Barry Shabaka Henley, Mykelti Williamson, Jeffrey Wright, Barry Shabaka Henley and more. Did you know? (info taken from imdb.com) Originally, the lead roles were going to be played by Morgan Freeman and Robert Redford. But, after careful consideration, Redford decided that the movie would work better with a younger men playing Rannulph Junuh, and Bagger Vance. As the project lay in "development hell" for more than a decade, several directors attempted to make the film until Michael Mann was finally chosen. The list included: Oliver Stone, Spike Lee, and Norman Jewison. Both Smith and Mann offered to put up their salaries in case the film went over-budget Will Smith gained 35 pounds to match Ali's 220. Stephen J. Rivele's and Christopher Wilkinson's first draft sprawled across 200 pages, taking Ali from childhood up to the present. When Ali is jogging in the very first scene, there's an '87 Taurus in the background, and a '90s vintage car in the carport. back