Oscar-winner and 2024 Berlinale jury president Lupita Nyong’o (“Black Panther,” “12 Years a Slave”) and Chloe Grace Moretz (“The Peripheral,” “The Miseducation of Cameron Post”) are set to enter the ring for the UFC-based mixed martial arts drama “Strawweight.”
The film —being launched at the European Film Market by WME Independent and CAA Media Finance —follows the journeys of two fighters who find themselves competing against each other in the Octagon. One is a young woman (Moretz) whose life is changed forever when she discovers her passion for the UFC, while the other is a former champion (Nyong’o) who is determined to reclaim her title by reinventing herself. Both want the same thing — respect — but only one can come out on top.
“Strawweight” will mark the feature directorial debut of James M. Johnston. A longtime collaborator of David Lowery, Johnston produced and directed second unit for “The Green Knight,” “The Old Man and the Gun” “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints” and the upcoming “Mother Mary” for A24 and is part of the Sailor Bear collective with Lowery and Toby Halbrooks. He also directed second unit for Disney’s “Peter Pan & Wendy” and Netflix’s “Last Letter From Your Lover.”
The “Strawweight” script was written by Paul Harrill from a story by Johnston and Harrill, and will be produced by Lars Knudsen of Square Peg (“Hereditary,” “The Northman,” “Dream Scenario”), Lowery and Halbrooks of Sailor Bear (“A Ghost Story,” “The Green Knight”), and Patrick Newall (“Extraction,” “The Gray Man”).
UFC superstar and former Strawweight Division champion Rose Namajunas will serve as a fight consultant and will also executive produce the film. WME Independent and CAA Media Finance will co-represent worldwide sales.
Nyong’o is repped by CAA and Del Shaw; Moretz is repped by CAA and Sloane, Offer, Weber and Dern; Lars Knudsen, David Lowery, Toby Halbrooks, Patrick Newall are repped by WME. Namajunas is repped by SuckerPunch Entertainment. Harrill is repped by CAA and Echo Lake. Johnston is repped by WME and Frankfurt Kurt Klein & Selz.
