‘Real Steel’ with Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman would appear in DreamWorks first project after the split-up with Paramount , “Real Steel”. The actor would play the role of a fighter who reinvents himself when robots replace human boxers. As a promoter of robot boxing, Jackman’s character would stumble upon a discarded android that always ends up winning against all odds. A touch of humanity is added as he discovers he has an 11-year-old son and together they develop their bond as their robot aims for success.

Director for “Night at the Museum” Shawn Levy would be taking over the film. When asked to elaborate on Jackman’s character, he says, “a former boxer who can no longer do the only job he’s good at, and one particular robot that may be his return to grace.”

Screenplay was by originally by Dan Gilroy who took inspiration from a short story by Richard Matheson. At present, the latest draft is penned by John Gatins. The script had been lying around way back since 2005 before DreamWorks bought it for $850,000. This film is one of the 17 projects DreamWorks executives Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider were able to keep after the separation with Paramount.

Co-president for production of DreamWorks, Mark Sourian explains, “When we took it with us, we really highlighted it as something we would put the pedal to metal on. It’s a project that Steven always wanted to do. It just came together rapidly after we left Paramount.”

With science fiction considered as one of Spielberg’s cream of the crop, expectations are high that the upcoming robot film would stand out. Production is scheduled to begin in June for a release on 2011.