It looks like Channing Tatum is following the exact same path he followed on his last movie with Dito Montiel. The actor first starred in Montiel’s film A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, where he was surrounded by lots of talented actors like Robert Downey Jr. and Shia LaBeouf. Now Tatum is starring in another Montiel film and it’s been revealed that Oscar-nominated actor Terrence Howard will be involved in the film as well.
The new movie, Fighting is one of a rash of movies about an underground street-fighting circuit. Tatum will play a young man who gets drawn into the circuit as a way to escape his life of desperation. There’s no word about who Howard will play in the article by Black Film, who broke the news, but I’m hoping it’ll be the veteran coach who backs Tatum’s character.
My only concern for this is that, like Saints, it might be hard for Tatum to be taken too seriously. His “pretty boy” roles, like She’s the Man and Step Up have shown Tatum to have the acting skills of a rock. More challenging movies like the two by Montiel have had more potential, but surround the former model with incredibly talented actors and he still doesn’t get to really show off much by comparison. One of these days Tatum is going to have to pick a role that gives him a chance to show what he can do without being surrounded by Oscar-caliber actors.
