In a first-look photo from “The Fire Inside,” Detroit’s own Ryan Destiny captures the intensity of boxing champion Claressa Shields.
Destiny, pictured in the photo above with FX’s “Atlanta” star Bryan Tyree Henry, portrays the two-time Olympic gold medal winner from Flint on her journey to becoming possibly the greatest woman boxer in the history of the sport.
The upcoming movie is adapted from the 2015 documentary about Shields, “T-Rex.” It is directed by Oscar nominee Rachel Morrison and written by Oscar winner Barry Jenkins, who is best known for 2016’s “Moonlight.”
Destiny, a West Bloomfield High School alum, is an actor, singer and dancer who was in the 2016 Fox series “Star” about a girl group trying to make it big in the music industry. Her credits include appearances in the Detroit-made AMC series “Low Winter Sun,” Freeform’s “Grown-ish” and the movie “A Girl Like Grace” with Meagan Good.
Asked what it is about Shields that made her want this role, Destiny said via email: “I kept saying how much I wanted to be a part of projects that tell stories about women in ways we may have not seen before. When this project was brought to me, I knew it was extremely special and going to challenge me in ways I needed it to.”
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Henry plays coach Jason Crutchfield, who helps Shields become the first American woman to land Olympic gold in boxing.
“The Fire Inside” is set to open December 25.
On Saturday, Shields, an undisputed middleweight champion, will challenge Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse for the WBC women’s heavyweight championship at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The WBO light heavyweight title also is at stake in the match.
Shields visited the Detroit Lions training camp in Allen Park on Thursday and brought along her championship belts during a visit with Lions head coach Dan Campbell, Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp and others.
The fight will be streamed on the DAZN sports platform.
