Punch It Films Brings MMA Spirit to Big Screen
Ex-UFC champ Michael Bisping, 'Walking Dead' alum Sarah Wayne Callies join forces
“Storytelling and fighting aren’t so different. Both are about conflict, struggle, and heart.”
So says actor and MMA alum Michael Bisping in a press release about his new project, Punch It Films. The studio, set to launch at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, promises efficient movie making with style (and fisticuffs).
The L.A.-based Punch It Films, founded by writer-director Nika Agiashvili, producer John Edward Lee, actor George Finn and Bisping, promises close ties to the “global MMA community.”
The studio’s first project, “Atlas King,” starts production in Los Angeles this summer.
Former UFC Fighter Michael Bisping Partners With Storyman Pictures To Launch Production & Finance Company Punch It Films — Cannes Market https://t.co/ZYwIPEZG5O
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) May 9, 2025
The film stars Bisping as an ex-fighter who returns home to bury his best friend and settle old debts. He reunites with his godson (Finn), now part of a criminal enterprise, to defeat a local mob boss. The film co-stars Sarah Wayne Callies of “The Walking Dead” fame along with “13 Reasons Why” alum Anne Winters.
Punch It Films has two key ingredients which could help it succeed. The MMA connection matters. Fight fans bring a passion to the sport that could translate into ticket sales. Various MMA fighters, in turn, could lean on their social media flocks to draw attention to the projects.
It’s also a good time to be in the genre film business. Platforms need content. Audiences crave escapism from the daily headlines. Hollywood can’t seem to get out of its own way when it comes to bloated budgets.
The upcoming “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” has little hope of turning a profit due to its gargantuan budget – a reported $400 million.
If Punch It Films produces lean, mean fight-friendly movies, it could find success in a trouble industry.