10 Essential Summer Blockbusters That Aren't Part Of A Franchise

4. Southpaw

Originally set to star Eminem, as a loose metaphorical continuation of his 8 Mile story, Southpaw will instead star Jake Gyllenhaal as a boxer at the top of his game and the top of fame. It promises another completely mesmerising transformation from Gyllenhaal, who shed around 30 pounds to play the brilliantly creepy Lou Bloom in last year€™s fantastic Nightcrawler. He€™s had to put that weight back on for Southpaw, and he essentially trained like a boxer for months to get into shape for the role, putting on 15 pounds of sheer muscle. He€™ll play Billy Hope, who goes out on top at the request of his wife Maureen (Rachel McAdams). However, from that moment on his life begins to spiral out of control: his wife is killed, his child taken away from him, obviously there€™s only one thing to do - return to the ring. It's not a wholly original tale, as indeed most boxing stories follow a rise-and-fall, redemptive arc, but that appearance of Gyllenhaal, plus a cast that includes Forest Whitaker and boxer Victor Ortiz, with Training Day's Antoine Fuqua directing, suggests this may have a little more meat to it. The film lands on July 24, and if it€™s as good as its star€™s metamorphosis then it€™ll be a surefire hit.