Hugh Jackman has one of the more interesting careers going: comic-book hero/song-and-dance man is a unique (and awesome) job title, which fails even to take into account his solid work in pictures like Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige. But when, you ask, will he realize his true destiny: training robots how to box? Since you asked, I’ll tell you—next October 7th. Observe Real Steel:
So it’s the future. Boxing’s been taken over by robots, and so boxer Hugh Jackman has to train a robot champion. As one does. The movie is based on the short story “Steel” by Tor Books’s own frequently-adapted Richard Matheson, though one imagines some liberties have been taken (especially considering that this movie is being directed by Night at the Museum’s Shawn Levy).
But let’s forget about Shawn Levy, or at the very least grant that he might, theoretically, have a good picture or two in him. Hugh Jackman is going to be in a movie about robot boxing. That’s really all we need to know, and a high concept this brilliant virtually guarantees that even if the movie’s bad, you’ll still be saying to yourself “I’m watching a Hugh Jackman movie about robot boxing” and giggling. There is room in the cinema for such a movie. Ample room.
Danny Bowes is a playwright, filmmaker and blogger. He is also a contributor to nytheatre.com and Premiere.com.
