Hugh Jackman In Talks For Real Steel

Hugh Jackman is in talks to star in Shawn Levy's futuristic robot boxing movie Real Steel. The film tells the story of a father and his estranged 13-year-old son who enter the world of robotic boxing. You see, in the future, human boxing has been outlawed, replaced with sports combat between human-trained 2000-pound heavy steel robots.

According to Variety, Jackman would play the father, an ex-fighter turned promoter whose "access to sub-standard robot parts hampers his hopes for glory in Robot Boxing, until he discovers a discarded robot that always seems to win."  The concept is something we've never seen before on the big screen, and in the right hands, could be a good Summer tentpole film.

Real Steel is based on a short story by Richard Matheson, which was made into a Twilight Zone episode featuring Lee Marvin. The screenplay adaptation was originally scripted by Dan Gilroy (The Fall), but has since been rewritten by Leslie Bohem (Taken, Dante's Peak) and John Gatins (Summer Catch, Dreamer).

Shawn Levy is best know for directing mediocre or bad comedies, the Night at the Museum series, Cheaper By The Dozen, The Pink Panther, Just Married, and Big Fat Liar. This could mean that the family sci-fi actioner might be redeveloped with more of a comic tone.