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The Fire Inside (film)

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The Fire Inside
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRachel Morrison
Written byBarry Jenkins
Produced by
  • Elishia Holmes
  • Barry Jenkins
Starring
CinematographyRina Yang
Edited byHarry Yoon
Music byTamar-kali
Distributed byAmazon MGM Studios
Release dates
  • September 7, 2024 (2024-09-07) (TIFF)
  • December 25, 2024 (2024-12-25) (United States)
Running time
109 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Fire Inside is a 2024 American biographical sports film by Rachel Morrison in her feature directorial debut. The film is about American professional boxer Claressa "T-Rex" Shields training for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Ryan Destiny stars as the lead, alongside Brian Tyree Henry.

The Fire Inside premiered in the Special Presentations section of the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2024, and is scheduled to be released in the United States by Amazon MGM Studios on December 25, 2024.

Plot

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Claressa "T-Rex" Shields trains to box in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Cast

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Production

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On October 7, 2016, Universal Pictures hired Barry Jenkins to adapt the 2015 documentary T-Rex with the possibility to direct the film.[1] On June 19, 2019, Rachel Morrison was set to make her directorial debut on Flint Strong; Jenkins would produce with Michael De Luca and Elishia Holmes, while Zackary Canepari and Drea Cooper, who worked on T-Rex would serve as executive producers.[2]

On November 13, 2019, Ryan Destiny was cast as Claressa "T-Rex" Shields.[3] On February 5, 2020, Ice Cube was cast as Shields' coach, Jason Crutchfield.[4] Judy Greer was added on May 14.[5] However, on October 29, 2021, it was reported that Cube had left the project after refusing to get vaccinated for COVID-19 to film Oh Hell No (later titled Stepdude) for Columbia Pictures, putting the film in turnaround.[6]

Principal photography began at Cinespace Film Studios in Toronto on March 11, 2020, but on March 13, production was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7][8][9] In an interview with The Guardian, Shields stated that production was set to resume in June 2021.[10] However, the project entered a long delay due to being offloaded by Universal. It would be picked up by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and on May 25, 2022, Brian Tyree Henry joined the cast to replace Cube and Oluniké Adeliyi joined to play Shields' mother, with filming resuming later that month.[11] On July 6, 2022, De'Adre Aziza joined the cast as Mickey, Crutchfield's wife.[12] In July 2022, filming took place in Hamilton, Ontario, where the FirstOntario Centre was used as an Olympic boxing venue.[13]

Release

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In July 2024, The Fire Inside was announced as part of the Special Presentations section at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival scheduled for September 7, 2024.[14] The film is scheduled for a theatrical release on December 25, 2024.[15]

Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 25 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "Equal measures inspiring, and enraging, this typical sports drama knows how to take a hit and dole them out with enough emotion and vigor to stoke The Fire Inside."[16] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 78 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[17]

Accolades

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Award Ceremony date Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Denver International Film Festival November 10, 2024 Rising Star Award Ryan Destiny Won [18]
Camerimage November 23, 2024 Golden Frog for Best Cinematography Rina Yang Nominated [19]
Gotham Awards December 2, 2024 Outstanding Supporting Performance Brian Tyree Henry Nominated [20]
Breakthrough Performer Ryan Destiny Nominated
Celebration of Cinema and Television December 9, 2024 Rising Star Award – Film Won [21]


See also

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References

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  1. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (October 7, 2016). "'Moonlight's Barry Jenkins To Script Story Of First American Female Gold Medal Boxer Claressa 'T-Rex' Shields". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 8, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  2. ^ Kroll, Justin (June 19, 2018). "'Black Panther' DP Rachel Morrison to Make Directorial Debut on Barry Jenkins Script 'Flint Strong'". Variety. Archived from the original on November 26, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  3. ^ N’Duka, Amanda (November 13, 2019). "Ryan Destiny To Lead The Rachel Morrison-Directed Boxing Drama 'Flint Strong'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  4. ^ Kroll, Justin (February 5, 2020). "Ice Cube to Star in Sports Drama 'Flint Strong'". Variety. Archived from the original on February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  5. ^ "Judy Greer Boards Universal's Rachel Morrison Boxing Drama 'Flint Strong'". May 14, 2020. Archived from the original on May 20, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  6. ^ Masters, Kim; Kit, Borys (October 29, 2021). "Ice Cube Exits Sony Comedy 'Oh Hell No' After Declining COVID-19 Vaccine". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  7. ^ Pinto, Jordan (March 16, 2020). "eOne suspends production on Nurses due to coronavirus". Playback. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  8. ^ Kroll, Justin (March 13, 2020). "Universal Halts Production on Live-Action Films Including 'Jurassic World: Dominion' Due to Coronavirus". Variety. Archived from the original on March 14, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  9. ^ Morrison, Rachel (March 13, 2020). "I started this morning scouting an amazing set..." Instagram. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  10. ^ Hunt, Loretta (June 10, 2021). "Claressa Shields: 'I can drive through Flint now and not get flashbacks'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  11. ^ Kit, Borys (May 25, 2022). "Brian Tyree Henry Boards Flint Strong As Boxing Drama Finds New Studio Home, Restarts Shooting (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  12. ^ Grobar, Matt (July 6, 2022). "Rachel Morrison's MGM Drama 'Flint Strong' Adds De'Adre Aziza; Arden Myrin To Star In Indie 'Step Aside'". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  13. ^ Nolan, Daniel (July 22, 2022). "FirstOntario Centre in the ring for boxing movie Flint Strong". The Hamilton Spectator. ISSN 1189-9417. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  14. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 22, 2024). "TIFF Galas & Special Presentations Lineup Includes World Premieres From Angelina Jolie, Mike Leigh, Gia Coppola; Starry Pics With Jennifer Lopez, Lily James, Dave Bautista; Int'l Premieres 'Conclave' & 'Piece By Piece', More". Deadline. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  15. ^ McArdle, Tommy (July 25, 2024). "The Fire Inside First Look: Boxer Claressa Shields' Inspiring Story Comes to Life (Exclusive)". People. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  16. ^ "The Fire Inside". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 29, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  17. ^ "The Fire Inside". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  18. ^ "47th Denver Film Festival". denverfilmfestival.eventive.org. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  19. ^ Brzeski, Patrick (October 15, 2024). "Camerimage Film Festival: 'Emilia Pérez,' 'The Girl With the Needle' and 'The Fire Inside' to Screen in Competition". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  20. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (October 29, 2024). "Gotham Awards Nominations: 'Anora' Leads Pack, 'Challengers' & 'Nickel Boys' Among Group Up For Best Feature". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  21. ^ "The Critics Choice Association Announces Full Slate of Honorees for the 7th Annual Celebration of Black Cinema and Television – Critics Choice Awards". Retrieved November 10, 2024.
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