Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan) will be starring alongside his wife Naomi Watts, Ron Perlman and Elisabeth Moss in The Bleeder, a biopic of Chuck Wepner, a journeyman boxer who took on Muhammad Ali, months after “The Rumble in the Jungle” in an endurance test match that last for fifteen rounds. Watts will be playing Wepner’s third wife and Moss his wife during the fight. Directed by Philippe Falardeau and with a screenplay by Jeff Feuerzeig and Jerry Stahl, the film was shot in Manhattan, Yonkers and Bulgaria.
Schreiber has a background in theater, having worked in productions of The Tempest, Hamlet and Macbeth. He was nominated for an Emmy and Golden Globe for RKO 281 in which he played Orson Welles. Schreiber also played Sabertooth, Wolverine’s nemesis in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Recently Schreiber has earned major recognition for his portrayal of tough guy Ray Donovan in the series of the same name. Watts and Schreiber have worked previously in Painted Veil and Movie 43.
BoxingNewsOnline caught up with Wepner to ask him about the memorable Ali fight. “The Bayonne Bleeder” talked about the 41st Anniversary of the fight on March 24, 2016, “Oh, yeah, today alone I’ve had 34 phone calls asking me about the Ali fight and also the 30-foot mural they have done of me here in Bayonne.”
The Bleeder also stars Jim Gaffigan, Liz Celeste and Morgan Spector and will be released sometime this year.