“The story was an original idea by Sean Patrick Flanery,” Ranarivelo said. “He approached me to help turn it into a script. Writing the script was pretty easy. He gave it a five-page treatment, which I really liked. It seemed deep and personal. Working with Sean Patrick Flanery was really smooth. This is a story that he has wanted to tell for a long time. It allowed him to combine his two loves: martial arts and movies.”
“Sean’s real love is Brazilian jiu-jitsu,” he said, prior to adding that it was great to work with actors Dennis Quaid and Katrina Bowden, who played Mason and Layla respectively.
Ironically enough, Ranarivelo acknowledged that he knows nothing about martial arts himself and that is what drew him to this project. “That’s actually what attracted me to it because basically, the story deals with the evolution of mixed martial arts (MMA),” he said.
For fans and viewers, he remarked about Born a Champion, “I just want them to see the movie. It’s a very powerful, personal story that happens to be in the world of martial arts. Give it a chance and you will be very surprised that it’s a lot deeper than what you might expect.”
Born a Champion earned a favorable review from Digital Journal, which was hailed as “riveting.” It is available on Amazon Prime Video.
For more information on director and writer Alex Ranarivelo, check out his official website, and follow him on Instagram.
