Ratner to release 'the real Wrestler'

Filmmaker Brett Ratner is releasing never-before-seen footage of Mickey Rourke that has been dubbed "the real Wrestler".

When Rourke quit acting to pursue a boxing career in 1991, pal Ratner followed him with a camera, shooting hours of footage of the star sparring in the ring.

Nearly two decades later, Ratner is preparing to release the film as part of his Shooter Series - a collection of short films he has made throughout his career.

He tells StarPulse.com, "Even before I was born Mickey Rourke used to sleep over at my house, in my garage - he was best friends with my uncle and my mom. I grew up knowing him but then I lost track."

When Ratner enrolled at New York University's film school, he got back in touch with the star: "I was like, 'Mickey, I can't wait, I'm going to be a director and you're going to be in all my films.' And he's like, 'No, man, I'm quitting.' I said, 'What are you talking about?" He's like, 'I'm going to be a boxer.' I'm like, 'Are you out of your f**king mind? You're, like, the best actor in the world.'

"I said, 'I'm going to follow you becoming a boxer.' I wanted any excuse to film anything anyway. I literally spent months in Miami filming him. I put it in a garage, I hadn't seen it in 20 years."

Ratner was reminded of his film when he watched Rourke's Oscar-nominated turn in The Wrestler, so he dug out the footage and showed it to the actor.

The moviemaker recalls, "He saw it and was like, 'Holy s**t. This is the real Wrestler.'"

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