Pierce Brosnan to portray Irish boxing legend Brendan Ingle in ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed biopic

Pierce Brosnan has been slated to portray Dublin native and Irish boxing training legend Brendan Ingle in Giant, an upcoming biopic about former world featherweight champion ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed whom Ingle trained.

Deadline reports that Amir El-Masry will star as Naseem 'Naz' Hamed opposite Brosnan. The Egyptian-British actor is perhaps best known for his work in the 2020 dramedy Limbo and comedy-thriller Club Zero (2023).

The film will be written and directed by Rowan Athale (The Rise, Gangs of London, Strange But True), and produced by Mark Lane and Kevin Sampson and Stuart Ford. A cinematic boxing legend in his own right, Sylvester Stallone is also slated to executive produce under his Balboa Productions banner.

Giant follows the true story of Naseem Hamed’s tough working-class upbringing in Sheffield and his discovery by Brendan Ingle, himself a steel industry worker turned boxing trainer. Their unlikely partnership along with Naz’s offbeat haughtiness, and undeniable prowess in the ring, skyrocketed them to the upper echelon of boxing’s elite and unprecedented levels of celebrity, all in the face of rampant Islamophobia and racism of ‘80s and ‘90s UK.

Brendan Ingle, who trained several world and European champions, suffered a brain haemorrhage and died in Sheffield in 2018, he was 77.

"I can honestly say that if it were not for Brendan Ingle, I would not have achieved all I did in the sport of boxing,” Naseem Hamed said, paying tribute to his late trainer and mentor.

Filming for Giant is expected to commence in Leeds later this month.