Soderbergh to direct martial arts fighter's screen debut

Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Gina Carano will be making her silver screen debut in the Academy Award winning director Steven Soderbergh's latest project, entitled "Knockout."

According to an article on Variety.com, "Scripted by Lem Dobbs, 'Knockout' casts Carano as a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who is given a second chance to use her skills for constructive purposes. The film is a closer cousin to 'La Femme Nikita' and 'Kill Bill' than 'Million Dollar Baby,' in that it doesn't take place in the fight ring. Rather, Soderbergh considers the film as a flat out action film in the James Bond mold, and will shoot in locations around the world that include Ireland, Turkey and the U.S."

Dobbs and Soderbergh have worked together before since Dobbs wrote both 1991's "Kafka" and 1999's "The Limey" for Soderbergh to direct.

The film will be fully financed by Relativity Media and Soderbergh is planning to begin production in late January. Plus, Soderbergh intends to bring in a number of well-known actors to play the movie's supporting cast.

The Variety.com article goes on to say, "The MMA circuit is where Soderbergh discovered Carano, a lightweight division slugger with movie star good looks. The Muay Thai-trained fighter has compiled a 7-1 record. Though Carano suffered her first loss in a title fight last month, she is considered the face of the fledgling women's mixed martial arts fighting circuit."