GRUDGE MATCH with De Niro & Stallone Lands Christmas Day Release

"Grudge Match," a comedy starring film legends Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone as rivals in the boxing ring, will bow in the holiday season with a Christmas Day debut, moving up from its prior release date of January 10. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

Fellman stated, "Results of our early screenings have been outstanding, giving us every indication that 'Grudge Match' is a movie that can excel during the Christmas play period. With the iconic pairing of De Niro and Stallone, surrounded by such a terrific cast-including comedy greats Kevin Hart and Alan Arkin-we felt it was a perfect opportunity to jump into the holidays and give audiences of all ages a chance to enjoy the movie."

Warner Bros. Pictures' "Grudge Match" stars award-winning movie legends Oscar winner Robert De Niro ("Raging Bull," "Silver Linings Playbook") and Oscar nominee Sylvester Stallone (the "Rocky" films, "The Expendables") as old boxing rivals who come out of retirement for one final match. Peter Segal ("Get Smart," "The Longest Yard") directs the comedy.

De Niro and Stallone play Billy "The Kid" McDonnen and Henry "Razor" Sharp, two local Pittsburgh fighters whose fierce rivalry put them in the national spotlight. Each had scored a victory against the other during their heyday, but in 1983, on the eve of their decisive third match, Razor suddenly announced his retirement, refusing to explain why but effectively delivering a knock-out punch to both their careers. Thirty years later, boxing promoter Dante Slate Jr., seeing big dollar signs, makes them an offer they can't refuse: to re-enter the ring and settle the score once and for all. But they may not have to wait that long: on their first encounter in decades, their long-festering feud erupts into an unintentionally hilarious melee that instantly goes viral. The sudden social media frenzy transforms their local grudge match into a must-see HBO event. Now, if they can just survive the training, they may actually live to fight again.

The film also stars Kevin Hart as Dante Slate Jr.; Oscar winner Alan Arkin ("Little Miss Sunshine," "Argo") as Razor's former trainer, Louis "Lightning" Conlon, who gets to put Razor through his paces again; and Oscar winner Kim Basinger ("L.A. Confidential") as Sally Rose, who was once the love of Razor's life. Rounding out the cast are Jon Bernthal as BJ, who becomes The Kid's instinctive but untested trainer; and young film newcomer Camden Gray.

Segal is directing from a screenplay by Rodney Rothman, story by Tim Kelleher. The film is being produced by Bill Gerber, Mark Steven Johnson, Michael Ewing and Ravi Mehta. Peter Segal, Jane Rosenthal and Kevin King-Templeton are serving as executive producers.

Collaborating with Segal behind the scenes are: Academy Award-winning cinematographer Dean Semler ("Dances With Wolves," "Apocalypto"); production designer Wynn Thomas; editor William Kerr; and costume designer Mary Vogt. Robert Sale, who was the technical advisor on "Rocky Balboa," is serving as the film's boxing consultant. The music is by Trevor Rabin.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Gerber Pictures Production, a Callahan Filmworks Production, a Peter Segal film, "Grudge Match." The film opens December 25, 2013 and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Photo by: Retna Ltd.

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