DreamWorks' Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider have green-lit the $80 million, sci fi feature "Real Steel" starring Hugh "Wolverine" Jackman. The film will be the first film for DreamWorks since raising $650 million production funding from J.P. Morgan Securities and India-based Reliance Big Pictures. Disney also contributed $175 million to the studio, for the exclusive distribution of new DreamWorks titles.
"Real Steel" will be set in the future, where human 'blood-sport' boxing has been outlawed for being ultra violent and high-tech 'rock 'em sock 'em ' robots pound each other out in the ring instead.
In the 1963 "Twilight Zone" episode "Steel", adapted by Rod Serling, based on author Richard Matheson's short story, boxing involving human fighters has been criminalized in the future, with the field now dominated by 'fighting robots'. Former boxer 'Steel Kelly' manages an older model 'B2-model' robot called 'Battling Maxo'. When another robot gets damaged on the way to a fight event, Kelly is contacted to see if Maxo can fight in his place. Kelly assures the promoter Maxo is up to the task, as he and his partner use the last of their money to get to the venue, for one last shot at the big time.
But Kelly soon realizes Maxo's functions are broken down from years of wear and tear and disguises himself as the robot to continue with the fight, almost getting himself killed in the ring by a battling 'B7 robot'.
Maxo is awarded half the prize money for an amusingly 'poor' performance and loyal Kelly promises to buy parts to fix up the real Maxo, good as new.
The property is one of 17 projects Spielberg and Snider retained as part of DreamWorks' split from Paramount. The studio will finance the film entirely, though not opposed to Paramount wanting to finance half, as part of a 'first-look' deal.
Spielberg has always been fond of the robot project, reading "Famous Monsters Of Filmland" magazine and thrilling to "Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots" TV commercials as a kid, with "He knocked his block off!" becoming a catch-phrase in the schoolyard.
DreamWorks initially acquired the project in 2005 for a reported $850,000, with writer John Gatins handing in the most recent draft screenplay. Production will start June 2010.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Twilight Zone: Steel" and "Rock 'Em Sock' 'Em Robots"...
