Pierce Brosnan’s Sheffield-set drama hailed as “sure-fire crowdpleaser” as new trailer lands
Sports biopic Giant, starring Pierce Brosnan and Amir El-Masry, has just released an extended trailer, looking at the real-life story of boxing champion Prince Naseem ‘Naz’ Hamed.
El-Masry stars as the British Yemeni boxer in the film from writer-director Rowan Athale, chronicling Naz’s rags-to-riches arc which takes him from Sheffield to the biggest rings in the world.
Brosnan stars as Naz’s mentor and trainer Brendan Ingle, a former pro Irish boxer who ran a gym in Wincobank.
The trailer shows the first encounter that ignites the spark between Naz and Brendan. The latter would go on to take the kid under his wing and help him become a 1990s boxing icon.
“They hate you cause you’re different,” Brosnan’s Brendan tells the young boxer. “Embrace it.”
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Giant also follows the evolution of the duo’s professional and personal relationship as Naz finds fame.
“You shouldn’t take credit for my success,” Naz says in the clip.
“You’re selfish and arrogant,” Brendan tells his protégé in another scene, to which Naz promptly replies: “You nurtured that arrogance!”
The synopsis for the film reads: “Charting his inspiring rags-to-riches underdog tale from his humble beginnings in Sheffield to becoming champion of the world and a global sporting icon in the 1990s, the film explores the unlikely and tender relationship between Naz and his Irish boxing trainer Brendan Ingle, and the instrumental role that Ingle played on his road to success.”
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Produced by Sylvester Stallone through his Balboa Productions, the film has already earned comparisons with Rocky and had been hailed as “a sure-fire crowdpleaser” (via Flickering Myth).
“The film works best when it zeroes in on the push-and-pull between Hamed and Ingle, showing how pride, loyalty and ambition can both build and break a partnership,” Variety wrote in its review of the biopic.
Giant is set to hit cinemas in the UK on 9 January next year, after receiving its premiere at the BFI London Film Festival in October.
Rounding out the cast are Katherine Dow Blyton as Alma Ingle, Olivia Barrowclough as Vicki Quinn, Elika Ashoori as Caira Hamed, Austin Haynes as Trev, and Rocco Haynes as Mikey.
Giant is released in UK cinemas on 9 January 2026.
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
