Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o and Carrie star Chloë Grace Moretz will face each other in the ring in a new UFC-based film Strawweight. The film follows the journey of two mixed martial artists who look to claim the title and gain respect by defeating each other. It will mark the feature directorial debut of James M. Johnston.
Lupita Nyong’o, who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for 12 Years A Slave, was last seen in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She will also appear in A Quiet Place: Day One, currently in post-production. Chloë Grace Moretz was last seen in the sci-fi series, The Peripheral.
Lupita Nyong’o And Chloë Grace Moretz Are Cast As Leads In UFC-Based Strawweight
Lupita Nyong’o and Chloë Grace Moretz are cast as two MMA fighters in the newly announced film Strawweight. Variety reported that the film is being launched in the European Film Market by WME Independent and CAA Media Finance. Nyong’o and Moretz will fight in the Octagon as two fighters from different backgrounds but aiming for the same goal — respect.
Moretz’s character is a young woman who discovered her passion for the UFC, changing her life forever. Nyong’o, on the other hand, is a former champion who wants to reclaim her title by reinventing herself in the ring. The intense sports drama is directed by debutant James M. Johnston. Johnston had previously worked as second unit director and producer for the films The Green Knight and Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, directed by David Lowery.
Johnston is also part of the Sailor Bear collective alongside Lowery and Toby Halbrooks. Sailor Bear serves as one of the production houses of the film. The film is also produced by Lars Knudsen of Square Peg, known for their films like Hereditary and The Northman, and Patrick Newall, who produced Extraction and The Gray Man.
The script of Strawweight was penned by Paul Harrill based on a story by Johnston and Harrill. Since the film will be a full-on UFC drama, UFC superstar and former Strawweight Division champion Rose Namajunas is hired as a fight consultant on the film. Namajunas will also serve as an executive producer in the film.
Lupita Nyong’o And Chloë Grace Moretz Are Extremely Talented Choices For Strawweight
Lupita Nyong’o won her Oscar for her debut feature film 12 Years a Slave. In 2015, she made her Broadway debut in the play Eclipsed, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. She later entered the Star Wars universe in a voice role, playing the former pirate and smuggler Maz Kanata. In 2018, she made her Marvel debut in the film Black Panther and later appeared in its sequel in 2022. She also received a Primetime Emmy nomination for narrating two episodes of Serengeti.
Chloë Grace Moretz posted Variety’s news to her Instagram story with the caption, “@lupitanyongo excited about this one.” Moretz debuted as a child artist in television and later in the feature film The Amityville Horror. The Kick-Ass actress later graduated to mature roles, appearing in acclaimed movies like The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Suspiria, and Greta. She also headlined the sci-fi series, The Peripheral, from Westworld creators.
Nyong’o is represented by CAA and Del Shaw, while Moretz is represented by CAA and Sloane, Offer, Weber and Dern.
