Mickey Rourke has not decided to drop
out from playing rugby star Gareth Thomas in the upcoming film based
on his coming out gay story.
On Sunday, UK tabloid The Sun
reported that Thomas, who retired from rugby last year, said that
producers are in talks with Tom Hardy (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,
The Dark Knight Rises, RocknRolla) to fill the role after Rourke,
59, reportedly bowed out due to the rigorous training the part
demanded.
“I was talking to Mickey yesterday
and basically we're now talking to other big-name actors who could
play the part instead,” Thomas reportedly told The Sun.
But on Monday, the same tabloid quoted
Thomas as saying that Rourke is still very much a part of the
production.
“I teamed up with Mickey because
there's nobody better to take on such a challenging role and nothing
has changed,” Thomas said.
Thomas was in his early 30's when he
became one of only a handful of professional athletes to come out gay
during their careers.