Ramirez and De Niro Set for Roberto Duran Biopic HANDS OF STONE

Boxing biopic lands new leads.

Back in 2010 it was revealed that Gael Garcia Bernal (‘Amores perros,’ ‘Y tu mamá también’) was set to portray five-time world boxing champ Roberto Duran in writer/director Jonathan Jakubowicz’s ‘Hands of Stone,’ with Al Pacino in line for the role of Ray Arcel, Duran’s trainer.

Forward on three years and Mike Fleming over at Deadline is hearing that the film now has Édgar Ramírez (‘Zero Dark Thirty,’ ‘Wrath of the Titans’) attached to play the Panamanian boxing legend, and Robert DeNiro on board to play Arcel.

Scheduled to begin shooting in September in Panama, the drama revolve around Duran’s incredible brawls with Sugar Ray Leonard, culminating in an inexplicable ending of the famous fight where Duran quit in the ring and cried “No mas” (‘no more’), on a night when Leonard was having his way.

“The story of Roberto Duran and Ray Arcel is not only a homage to the golden days of boxing; it is most importantly the story of a fatherless man who teaches every single one of us the true meaning of never giving up,” said producer Jay Weisleder.

Jakubowicz added: “The infamous “No Mas” fight is the biggest enigma in the history of boxing. This movie will answer the enigma, with the best talent any director can possibly dream.”