‘Giant’ Director Rowan Athale on Landing Pierce Brosnan for Boxing Film, Getting Sylvester Stallone’s ‘Seal of Approval’ and Their Next Film Together

British-Indian filmmaker Rowan Athale (“The Rise”) was just five years old when he first spotted Sylvester Stallone and Mr. T on the cover of a tape in a video store in Sheffield, England. That film was “Rocky 3,” in which Mr. T plays Clubber Lang, Rocky’s rival in the ring. The film would whet the young boy’s appetite not only for film itself but for boxing movies. Three decades later, in a twist of fate, the director would end up working with Stallone himself on his very own boxing drama, “Giant.” 

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Opening this year’s Red Sea Film Festival on Thursday, the film is inspired by the real-life story of Prince Naseem “Naz” Hamed (Amir El-Masry), a British-Yemeni boxer who held multiple featherweight world championship titles between 1995 and 2000. “Giant” focuses specifically on the trajectory and fall of Naz’s relationship with coach Brendan Ingle, played by Pierce Brosnan. 

On landing the renowned Irish actor to star in his film, Athale says Brosnan was on his “dream list,” but he believed he was out of reach given the magnitude of his fame — as well as the fact that the veteran actor had several projects lined up, including Steven Soderbergh’s “Black Bag” and Guy Ritchie’s “MobLand.” Still, Athale’s producer, Stuart Ford at AGC Studios, said they should give it a shot.

Two weeks later, the director got a call. “It was a phone call from Malibu, and I thought it was one of Pierce’s agents,” he recalls. “I was at the vegetable section of [food store] Morrison’s when I answered the phone, and it’s Pierce,” he continues. “I walked around the supermarket for 20 minutes giving him the pitch, which was bizarre. A day later, he was in.”

Finding the right Naz was key to the success of the project, and the perfect choice came in the shape of “Limbo” and “The Crown” British-Egyptian rising star Amir El-Masry. With scheduling proving tricky due to Brosnan’s many projects, El-Masry came in with only a few weeks to prepare. “What he did in this film should be talked about in drama classes and film school,” remarks Athale. “Two weeks into prep, Amir had never boxed in his life. By the time we shoot the movie, he looks like [Prince Naseem]. It’s superhuman. I had never seen anything like that.” 

As for having Stallone as an executive producer, the partnership happened once Athale’s “Little America,” which had Stallone set up to star, got postponed due to the pandemic. With that project on hold, Stallone, who heads up Balboa Productions, asked the director what else he had on his slate. “I told him I had a boxing film and he said: ‘I know a thing or two about those.’”

“He and his producer wanted to read the script, then they came back with notes, but said they wanted to be involved with it and they could help open doors from the boxing side,” adds Athale. “It was this wonderful thing that he was able to do both creatively and in terms of the seal of approval he gave us.” As for “Little America,” the film is now set to shoot in 2026. “The market is there for it, the project sold around the world, which was an incredible reception. So we are ready to turn our heads back to this one.” 

For now, Athale is basking in the “honor” of opening the Red Sea Film Festival. “It’s such a prestigious slot,” he says. “I haven’t been to the festival before, but I’ve followed it and seeing Spike Lee there last year, Sean Baker this year, it’s wonderful company to be in.” The screening is even more special to the director given that “Giant” speaks about the difficulties and prejudice faced by Muslims in Britain in the 80s. “To be able to show the film in the Arab world and have a conversation here is meaningful. I’m not Muslim, but I am mixed race and my brothers and I faced many of the experiences you see in the film growing up in Sheffield.”

The director, who will be in Jeddah for almost a week, says he is also interested in getting to know production facilities and producers on the ground. “I have developed a script with [Saudi-based media company] MBC before and that was a wonderful experience,” he recalls. “Part of being in Saudi is seeing the new Hollywood. Many of my colleagues who have been lucky to be invited to Red Sea said the facilities are state-of-the-art and there is a lot of passion behind it. It’s a very hardworking culture and people. If an opportunity arises, that is something I would definitely do.”