- Culture
- 25 Jul 16
The 'Room' director is getting ready to tell the story of notorious boxer, Emile Griffith.
The legacy of Griffith remains today as prevalent and important as ever as his sexual orientation and depiction in the media altered his life and many others.
Griffith became a world champion boxer but his career was tinged after his ring encounter with fellow-boxer Benny Paret. Griffith, an open bisexual, was taunted by Paret during weigh-in about his sexuality and the fight between the two led to Paret being knocked out and never regaining consciousness.
The upcoming biopic is a source of huge interest for Abrahamson. Untitled as of yet, the film will delve into the anxieties faced by Griffith, a man in the public eye whose sport supposedly embodied masculinity yet battling the oppression of his sexuality in the NYC underground gay scene.
While speaking to RTÉ Radio 1, Abrahamson described Griffith's existence as an "identity conflict". Griffith's biopic will delve into themes of masculinity, sport and sexuality. Who is cast in the roles is yet unknown but the project is due to start filming in 2017.