Ryan Destiny is a Boxer from Flint, MI in ‘The Fire Inside’ Movie Trailer
by Alex Billington
September 12, 2024
Source: YouTube
“What happened to staying true to who you are?” Amazon MGM Studios has unveiled the official trailer for The Fire Inside, formerly known as Flint Strong, telling the story of boxer Claressa Shields as trains to box in the 2012 Summer Olympics. This recently premiered at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival this fall, and it will open in theaters on Christmas Day in December at the end of this year. “To change everything, she gave everything.” The Fire Inside is story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, a boxer from Flint, Michigan who trained to become the first woman in her country’s history to win an Olympic gold medal in the sport. It’s based on the documentary called T-Rex, and features a screenplay written by Academy Award winner Barry Jenkins. It’s directed by cinematographer Rachel Morrison. Ryan Destiny as Claressa, Brian Tyree Henry as her trainer Jason Crutchfield, with Oluniké Adeliyi and De’Adre Aziza. TIFF says: “Destiny gives a stunning performance as Shields, weaving between grounded and intense as she tries to shake off her precarious reality.” This looks like your standard underdog sports biopic with some Flint pride thrown in. 🥊
Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Rachel Morrison’s The Fire Inside, direct from MGM’s YouTube:
Via TIFF: “Young Claressa Shields (Ryan Destiny) sneaks into a boxing gym, eager to spar with the boys. Local volunteer coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry) quickly takes her under his wing. Claressa proves fiercely talented but soon Crutchfield must go beyond the duties of a coach to keep her on track as she starts to feel not just the pressure of winning, but also the glare of her beleaguered hometown of Flint, Michigan seeking hope in her resilience… You’re quickly rooting for Claressa’s ascent to the Olympics but also forced to confront the crushing disappointment when things don’t turn out. All the while, Henry keeps us in the fight with a performance that finds warmth and patience amid the frustrations.” The Fire Inside, formerly titled Flint Strong, is directed by talented American cinematographer turned filmmaker Rachel Morrison, making her first feature film after directing eps of the series “The Morning Show”, “Hightown”, “American Crime Story”, and “The Mandalorian” previously. The screenplay is written by Barry Jenkins. It’s produced by Michael De Luca, Barry Jenkins, Elishia Holmes. MGM Studios will debut The Fire Inside in theaters nationwide starting December 25th, 2024, on Christmas Day, at the end of this year. Look good?