(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Eminem is set to play a boxer in a new movie, it has been reported.

The rapper previously enjoyed box office success in 8 Mile and it appears he is making a return to the big screen. In Southpaw, Eminem will portray a talented welterweight boxer who battles personal tragedy as he attempts to win a title.

Kurt Sutter has revealed he is writing a script for the project, which has been in the pipeline for a number of years. He believes Eminem real name Marshall Mathers - is the perfect person to bring the character to life, because he has also had struggles in his private life.

"I took meetings with Marshall's producing partners over the past seven years, looking for something to do together," Sutter told Deadline. "I know he's very selective and doesn't do a lot. He is very interested in the boxing genre, and it seemed like an apt metaphor, because his own life has been a brawl.

"We are doing a metaphorical narrative of the second chapter of his life. He'll play a world-champion boxer who really hits a hard bottom and has to fight to win back his life for his young daughter. At its core, this is a retelling of his struggles over the last five years of his life, using the boxing analogy.

Sutter is hoping to have a draft of the script written by February. It is not yet known when production could begin on the project.

He is confident the movie could be a hit and is proud of the parallels between Eminem and his boxer character.

"I love that the title refers to Marshall being a lefty, which is to boxing what a white rapper is to hip-hop; dangerous, unwanted and completely unorthodox," Sutter explained. It's a much harder road for a southpaw than a right-handed boxer." (C) Cover Media