Sam Rockwell and Mark Berger of Play Hooky Productions are planning to adapt a book about middleweight boxing champion Marvin Hagler into a feature film.

Play Hooky secured the rights to Dave Wedges upcoming book about Hagler, entitled Blood Hate: The Untold Story of Marvelous Marvin Haglers Battle for Glory, as part of a competitive bidding war. Rockwell and Berger will produce, with Rockwell also eying the role of one of the Petronelli brothers, who served as Haglers manager and trainers. Wedge, a New York Times bestselling author, and Ian McFarland will serve as executive producers. Additional creative team members will be announced at a later date. The book by Hamilcar Publishing is set to be released in 2025.

The book follows Hagler, an underdog from Newark who moves to Brockton, Mass. and begins training with Goody and Pat Petronelli at their gym. They train Hagler, a Black man, into a contender, who is put to the test as he battles for his first title shot against Alan Minter, a British man who was backed by the white supremacist National Front and had boasted that no Black man would take his title.

I remember watching Marvin Haglers fights in the 80s and was always astonished by his talent and grit. He was an extraordinary southpaw. Now to be able to tell his underdog story, especially as a lifelong boxing fan, is a dream come true, Rockwell said in a statement.

A statue of Hagler, who died in 2021, is set to be unveiled in Brockton, Mass., which was Haglers hometown, on June 13.

Play Hooky Productions is repped by Gersh and Loeb Loeb. Wedge is repped by UTA Literary and the Gotham Group in Beverly Hills.