James Madio(Band of Brothers) is legendary boxerWillie Pepin the first trailer forThe Featherweight. A documentary crew follows the greatest featherweight of all time as he attempts to mount a comeback - even with his personal life unraveling at the seams. The film will be released in limited theaters this September by Tuckman Media and Appian Way.
The movie is set decades after Pep’s glory days in the 1940s; it’s 1964, and Pep’s personal life is in ruins, as he juggles his much-younger wife (Ruby Wolf,Tommy) and his estranged drug-addicted son Billy (Keir Gilchrist,It Follows) from a previous marriage. The aging Pep then decides to get back in the ring over the objections of his long-suffering manager Bob Kaplan (Ron Livingston,Office Space) and trainer Bill Gore (Stephen Lang,Avatar). His comeback is chronicled by a pair of documentarians who, instead of the stirring comeback story they hoped for, end up recording the downfall of an Italian-American sports icon. The film will also starShari Albert,Imma Aiello, professional boxerBruce Carrington, andLawrence Gilliard Jr.(The Walking Dead) as Pep’s longtime in-ring rivalSandy Saddler.
Who Was Willie Pep?
BornGuglielmo Papaleoin 1922 in Middletown, Connecticut, the featherweight (under 126 pounds) boxer nicknamed “Willie Pep” was one of the fiercest competitors in the boxing world, despite his small stature of 5'5". In his amateur days, he once foughtSugar Ray Robinsonin the attic of a feed store. Turning pro in 1940, Pep amassedthe best winning record of any professional boxer, a feat that still has not been matched in the intervening decades: 229 wins with 65 of them by knockout, 11 losses, and 1 draw. Nicknamed the Will o' the Wisp, Pep was famed for his elusiveness and speed; one opponent once likened fighting him to trying to stamp out a grass fire. Pep retired in 1960, made a brief, ill-fated comeback in 1964, and retired for good in 1966. Pep died in 2006 at age 84, having suffered for some time with boxing-induced dementia. Despite numerous attempts, Pep’s life story has not been captured on film until now.
The Featherweightwas helmed by documentary veteranRobert Kolodnyin his feature directorial debut. It was produced by Madio,Steve Loff(who also wrote the script),Bennett Elliott,Robert Greene,Asger Hussain, andAbhayanand Singh.Steve James,Jennifer Davisson,Michael Hampton,Brian Liebman,Mark Hantoot,Donna Collins,Angelo DeFazio,Abhay DeolandJay Giannoneexecutive produced the film.
The Featherweightwill be released in Pep’s home state of Connecticut, as well as New York, on September 20, with a September 27 release in Los Angeles the next week. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates, and watch the trailer forThe Featherweightbelow.
