Sydney Sweeney Completely Transforms Into Boxing Legend Christy Martin for Her New Film

Elle

22-07-2025

A new sports biopic is on the way. Euphoria's Sydney Sweeney will transform into the boxer Christy Martin in the forthcoming film, Christy. It was directed by David Michôd (The King) and co-written by Michôd and Mirrah Foulkes (Judy & Punch).
Michôd, who's also known for directing War Machine and Animal Kingdom, said that he has been eager to make a strong female-led film for a while. 'I have a history of making movies about damaged men, and I'd been wanting to make a film about a woman with a ferocious energy inside her,' he told Deadline. 'When I came across the Christy Martin story two years ago, I knew I'd found it.'
Sweeney will also produce the film through her production company Fifty-Fifty Films. Ahead, here's everything we know about the forthcoming boxing biopic.
Christy chronicles the life of Christy Martin, the most successful female boxer of the '90s. She also shattered boundaries by becoming the only female boxer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. But while she found success in the ring, she was also navigating a violent and toxic relationship at home.
Michôd elaborated on Christy's themes. 'The film is about Christy as a young gay woman in small-town West Virginia in the 1990s,' he told Deadline. 'She came from a relatively conservative family and wasn't allowed to be who she was, so she used boxing as a vehicle to express herself and her rage. She had to make some dangerous and fundamental compromises in her life, the most important of which was marrying an incredibly dangerous man.'
Sydney Sweeney will play the titular character. On October 16, 2024, she posted the first look at her character on Instagram.
''Well the cats out of the bag thanks to some paps in bushes so here's a little bts from my film I'm working on right now,' she wrote in her caption. 'Over the past few months, I've been immersed in training to bring to life the story of an incredible woman—a true champion who fought battles both inside and outside the ring. her journey is a testament to resilience, strength, and hope, and I'm honored to step into her shoes to share her powerful story with you all.'
On July 21, she posted another sneak peek of herself in character:
In addition to Sweeney, the cast also includes Ben Foster (Hell or High Water), Merritt Wever (Severance), Katy O'Brian (Love Lies Bleeding), Ethan Embry (Grace and Frankie), Jess Gabor (Shameless), and Chad L. Coleman (The Walking Dead).
In her recent W cover story, Sweeney spoke about her physical transformation. She trained for three and a half months and gained 30 pounds for the role. 'I started eating,' she said. 'I weight-trained in the morning for an hour, kickboxed midday for about two hours, and then weight-trained again at night for an hour.'
She continued, 'My body was completely different. I didn't fit in any of my clothes. I'm usually a size 23 in jeans, and I was wearing a size 27. My boobs got bigger. And my butt got huge. It was crazy! I was like, 'Oh my god.' But it was amazing: I was so strong, like crazy strong.'
In another interview, Sweeney shared that she'd been wanting to find a physically challenging role. 'I grappled and did kickboxing from 12-19 years old,' she shared with Deadline. 'I've been itching to get back into the ring, train, and transform my body. Christy's story isn't a light one. It's physically and emotionally demanding. There's a lot of weight to carry. But I love challenging myself.'
The film is set to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this September. There's no word yet on when it will come to theaters.
This story will be updated.