John Hurt joins My Name is Lenny as shooting wraps

John Hurt joins the cast of East End London-based boxing drama, My Name is Lenny, as shooting wraps after four weeks. Josh Helman (The Pacific, X-Men: Apocolypse, Mad Max: Fury Road) plays the titular role of Britain’s notorious hardman, while the rest of the cast includes Chanel Cresswell (This Is England: 90) and current UFC Middleweight Champion Michael Bisping (Twin Peaks).

My Name Is Lenny covers Lenny McLean’s origin as a young street fighter in 1970s East London, the haunting effects of horrific childhood abuse, and his bitter rivalry with Roy Shaw across three unlicensed boxing matches, climaxing with Lenny taking his championship title of “The Guv’nor”.

Directed by Ron Scalpello (Pressure) and written by Paul Van Carter (Offender) and Martin Askew (RocknRolla), Ron Scalpello is confident the film will sell itself and not be too similar to recent films like Legend:

“There are many East End legends that have been brought to the screen recently, but Lenny McLean’s story has always fascinated me. Paul van Carter’s and Martin Askew’s script goes beyond the hyper-masculinity of this giant of a man and looks at the construction of an invincible identity that was forged in trauma. We’ve attracted a wonderful and diverse cast to bring this daring, street-fighting man and his 70’s world to life. My Name Is Lenny will be a visceral, brutal and emotional experience. I, like many people, can’t wait to see Lenny’s story on the big screen.”

My Name is Lenny is to be distributed in the UK by Lionsgate next year, with the backing of Salon Pictures (Gasgoine) and Patriot Pictures (Zeroville, Wild Horses).