Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier is taking his talents to the entertainment world.
The Octagon legend has been cast as one of four leads in an upcoming TV series created by director and screenwriter Gavin O'Connor, a spin-off based on his 2011 MMA-themed film 'Warrior' that starred actors Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, and Nick Nolte. The show will be called 'Warriors' and Cormier will play a character by the name of Bobby Watkins, an MMA fighter from Houston, Texas who is fighting to get his family out of poverty. O'Connor announced the casting decision of Cormier and discussed the premise of the series with Discussing Film's Michael Slavin.
"So here’s the show; it’s four characters, two men, two women," O'Connor said. "They’re all fighters, and they’re going to get into Sparta [the competition from Warrior] and will eventually be facing each other and fighting, and I’m going to get an audience supporting the two girls and two guys. So it’s got the DNA of the movie, but the most important part of the show is that it’s not about the fight in the cage. This show is a drama about the fight outside of the cage. What are they fighting for? Fighting your way out of poverty, to save for your family – I want to deal with things that are going on in the world because I have a character that’s in Dublin, Ireland, in Mountjoy prison. There’s a Muslim girl who’s a fighter, who’s living in her Muslim conservative community outside of Paris. She’s a lesbian and a fighter, and in her community, neither one of those are permitted. So you have a woman who’s in two closets almost, she’s got to find a way out of two closets. That’s kind of the idea."
Cormier reacted to the news himself with the following tweet. The Lionsgate Films produced series is expected to land on a streaming service sometime in the near future.
DC going to Hollywood baby!!! For all the support you guys have given me makes opportunities like this possible. This is only the beginning hopefully. Thank you pic.twitter.com/CQAYSZ9z4l
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) September 9, 2021
Fightful has all of your MMA needs covered. Follow us on Twitter for updates, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive interviews, lists, news updates, and predictions.
