Steven Soderbergh has tapped Gina Carano, the mixed martial arts fighter known to some as Crush on NBC’s 2008 reboot of American Gladiators, as the lead in his next film, the spy thriller Knockout. According to Variety, Soderbergh envisions it as a Bond-like action movie in which Carano will star as a woman from the “wrong side of the tracks” who gets a second chance to use her ass-kicking skills for good. The trade says the director discovered her on the fight circuit, but we suspect he also saw the video below of her and fellow Gladiator Wolf taking on Annie Barrett (a.k.a Fuel) and Michael Slezak (a.k.a. Cupcake) in our three-part Office Gladiators challenge. Perhaps he even made her reenact the “Catching Candy” event as her audition?
I think we’re due for another female action hero. Do you think Carano’s the one?
Comments (1-9) of 9 Add your comment
I HOPE SO! My husband and I both have major crushes on Gina!
she has a definite star quality. the more female action stars the better.
Crush was my favorite gladiator (what happened to that show?)
Steven Soderbergh has an odd eye for talent sometimes. (Didn’t he try the same thing with a porn star a few years back?) Carano is cute, and a champion fighter, but can she even act? And more importantly, will audiences accept a female movie star who isn’t 90 lbs?
MMMMM, yes!
<will give a chance to anything Soderbergh does. Huge fan of Schizopolis here.
Do I hear a Kristen Baldwin cameo through that phone?
She definitely has the looks, the skills and the build for it, hopefully she will be well supported by the script and the whole production.
Sure, why not. Gina’s awesome.
Definitely a YES! while I’d rather see her take serious action roles, can’t you just see her as Wonder Woman?!