With 2024 being an Olympic year, we learned about plenty of inspiring stories of the athletes that made their way to Paris, but another inspiring tale of a past Olympic gold medalist is coming to the big screen with The Fire Inside, a 2024 new movie from some of the most respected creatives in the movie business, Rachel Morrison and Barry Jenkins.
The duo teamed up to tell the story of Claressa Shields, a boxer from Flint, Michigan (the movie had a working title of Flint Strong at one point), who became the first American woman to win gold at the Olympics for the sport. But of course, there is more to her incredible story than just that.
As we await to learn more about it, here is everything you need to know about The Fire Inside.
The Fire Inside release date
The Fire Inside is arriving as a Christmas gift for movie fans, as the movie will premiere in US movie theaters on December 25. The Fire Inside premieres on February 7, 2025, in the UK.
Amazon and MGM Studios, which are producing The Fire Inside, hope they'll have the same kind of success with The Fire Inside that they did with The Boys in the Boat, another sports drama that was released around Christmas in 2023.
The Fire Inside cast
The Fire Inside is going to be led by a main pair, one a potential breakout and another a well-established, Oscar nominee.
Playing Claressa Shields is Ryan Destiny, who is best known for her role on the TV series Star, though she has also appeared in multiple episodes of the sitcom Grown-ish and was part of the cast of the 2023 horror movie Oracle. She has also appeared in multiple music videos for Justin Bieber and Doja Cat.
Starring alongside Destiny is Brian Tyree Henry as Shields' coach, Jason Crutchfield. Henry earned an Oscar nomination for his performance in 2022's Causeway, but he is also known for starring in multiple big franchises, including Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Marvel's The Eternals and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, as well as his breakout role in the TV show Atlanta. Henry is also set to star in the animated 2024 movie Transformers One.
The Fire Inside plot
With a script written by Barry Jenkins, here is the official plot of The Fire Inside:
"The Fire Inside is the inspirational true story of Claressa Shields, arguably the greatest female boxer of all time. Claressa, a high school Junior from Flint, Michigan, aided by her tough-love coach, Jason Crutchfield, pushes past all limitations to become the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing. But even at the pinnacle of success, Claressa has to reckon with the fact that not all dreams are created equal, and the real fight has only just begun."
The Fire Inside reviews
Find out what WTW thought of the movie with our official The Fire Inside review.
If you're curious where the critical consensus stands on the movie, Rotten Tomatoes has the movie as "Fresh" at 97% as of December 18.
The Fire Inside awards
Here's a running list of the awards and nominations that The Fire Inside has earned thus far:
Gotham Awards
- Outstanding Supporting Performance — Brian Tyree Henry (nominee)
- Breakthrough Performer — Ryan Destiny (nominee)
Independent Spirit Awards
- Best Lead Performance — Ryan Destiny (nominee)
- Best Cinematography (nominee)
The Fire Inside trailer
Watch the The Fire Inside trailer directly below:
Rachel Morrison movies
Directing The Fire Inside is Rachel Morrison. She made history as the first woman nominated for the Best Cinematography Oscar for her work on Black Panther, though she was behind the camera as a cinematographer for other notable movies like Fruitvale Station, Dope and Mudbound.
While The Fire Inside will mark the first time Morrison is directing a feature film, she has directed a number of episodes of popular TV series, including The Morning Show, American Crime Story: Impeached and The Mandalorian.
