Synopsis

An unscrupulous boxing promoter decides that the sport needs a new attraction: a white challenger to face his undefeated Black heavyweight champion. He recruits Terry Conklin, a former amateur opponent now fronting a rock band, and turns the match into a racially charged media spectacle. As Conklin trains seriously and the champion grows complacent, the manufactured event threatens to become a real contest.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film's title plays on the expression "Great White Hope," a phrase long associated with the search for a white boxer who could defeat a Black heavyweight champion. Its premise reflects the racial marketing surrounding Larry Holmes' 1982 fight with Gerry Cooney, as well as the hype surrounding Mike Tyson's 1995 comeback bout with Peter McNeeley.

• The screenplay was written by Tony Hendra and Ron Shelton. Shelton, whose other sports films include "Bull Durham," later said he was unhappy with how his original screenplay had been changed for production.

• Filming took place from June 20 through August 18, 1995. Locations included 20th Century Fox's Stage 20, the Hoover Dam, and the American Hotel in Los Angeles. The punk club scenes were filmed at Al's Bar, which operated on the hotel's ground floor at the time.

• The band Local H's song "Feed" is performed in the club sequence featuring Terry Conklin.

• Reverend Fred Sultan's greeting to a man named Vincent references Samuel L. Jackson's character Jules Winnfield from "Pulp Fiction."

• A boxing video-viewing scene includes a reference to Tommy Morrison's family connection to John Wayne. Morrison's real name was John Wayne's great-nephew, Marion Michael Morrison.

• The film's soundtrack combined rap and hip-hop tracks with contributions from several prominent producers. It reached number 93 on the Billboard 200 and number 27 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

• The closing credits include a cameo appearance by Reginald Hudlin as the final dancer.

• The MGM Grand's famous lion-head entrance appears in the film. According to production trivia, the entrance was later removed after concerns that some Chinese gamblers considered entering through a lion's mouth bad luck.