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Exclusive: British-born Eurasian actor Mayling Ng (Wonder Woman) has joined the cast of UK-set boxing drama The Journeyman and will star opposite retired UFC Middleweight Champion Michael Bisping. Dax Phelan is directing the pic, which follows Kenny “The Beast” Breen (Bisping), an alcoholic, drug-abusing, past-his-prime journeyman boxer who, after being diagnosed with neurological damage, continues his career on the small-hall circuit at grave risk to himself and lands a fight with his former rival who’s gone on to become a star in the division. Ng will play Alina, a woman struggling to start her life over after escaping an abusive relationship, who becomes romantically involved with the boxer. Phelan and British author Mark Turley co-wrote the screenplay based on the latter’s book. The film is planning to shoot in Manchester and the team are now seeking a UK-based producing partner. Ng is repped by Eric Kind at Brave Artists Management.

Exclusive: Michael Bisping, the retired UFC Middleweight Champion and Hall of Famer, has been set to lead The Journeyman, an adaptation of British author Mark Turley’s book Journeymen.

Bisping will play Kenny ‘The Beast’ Breen, an alcoholic, drug-abusing, past-his-prime journeyman boxer with a record of 11-85-0 who, after being diagnosed with neurological damage, continues his career on the small-hall circuit at grave risk to himself.

Dax Phelan is directing the movie, which will shoot in the UK. The team are currently searching for a UK producing partner and will be repping the title at AFM with LHCo Distribution Liaison.

Phelan and Turley co-wrote the screenplay. Eric M. Klein and Phelan are producing. Bisping and Turley will executive produce. Real-life journeyman boxer Johnny Greaves is serving as the film’s technical advisor.

“For obvious reasons, Mike brings an authenticity and an X-factor to the role that no other actor ever could,...

Exclusive: Dax Phelan has acquired the rights to UK author Mark Turley’s boxing book Journeymen: The Other Side of the Boxing Business, a New Perspective on the Noble Art, and will be shopping the project during Toronto.

The novel follows an alcoholic, drug-abusing, past-his-prime journeyman boxer, who, after being diagnosed with neurological damage, continues his career on the small-hall circuit at grave risk to himself, in the hope that he can reach the rare achievement of one hundred professional bouts.

Phelan will direct and co-write the adaptation with Turley. The pic will be produced by Phelan and Eric M. Klein (Jasmine) and executive produced by Turley. The team are searching for a lead actor now; they are planning to hire real-life boxers to round out the cast.

“I’ve been looking for a way to tell a different kind of boxing story...