Ryan, Cooper, & Renner Circle The Ring For "Southpaw"

Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Renner are all said to be under consideration for the lead role in director Antoine Fuqua's boxing drama "Southpaw" just picked up by The Weinstein Company.

Fuqua tells Shadow and Act that he has already talked with Cooper & Renner about the role.

Originally rapper Eminem was ready to play a welterweight boxer on the rise who brawls his way to the title, only to see his world crash down around him due to a tragedy. He then must begin his fight to reclaim past glory for himself and his young daughter. The script was penned by Sons of Anarchy creator/exec producer Kurt Sutter.

Asked about the possibility of the Eminem returning, Fuqua says the rapper is "still being a part of it, whether he’ll play the lead role or not, we’re discussing that."

The extent of Eminem's involvement will be determined by his schedule.  Southpaw could be Fuqua's next project since his Tupac Shakur biopic is currently undergoing re-writes.