Danny DeVito, John Leguizamo and Peter Sarsgaard to star in Harry Haft

2 March 2019

Danny DeVito, John Leguizamo and Peter Sarsgaard have joined the cast of 'Harry Haft'.

Danny DeVito

The trio will co-star in the boxing drama from director Barry Levinson, which is based on a true story and adapted from the novel 'Harry Haft: Survivor of Auschwitz, Challenger of Rocky Marciano' by Alan Scott Haft.

Danny, John and Peter will join previously announced star Ben Foster in the movie, along with Vicky Krieps, Saro Emirze and Dar Zuzovsky.

The story follows Harry (played by Foster) who survives German concentration camps by fighting to the death against fellow prisoners in gruesome gladiatorial boxing matches arranged by an SS Officer.

After he escapes the camp, he travels to New York and begins fighting boxing legends in the hope that he will find fame and make contact with his first love again.

Meanwhile, DeVito is currently shooting the new Tim-Burton directed 'Dumbo' and he admitted the CGI elements of the live-action movie are "kind of cool".

He shared: "I've never done that before. It's really kind of cool.

"The first time I saw it, we have a couple people in green suits. We have these big aluminium outlines of how big an elephant would be, with eyes that are like little tennis balls.

"They're carried by a person in green so that when you're in the relationship, you know where it's gonna be."

DeVito, 74 - whose co-stars include Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Eva Green, and Alan Arkin - also admitted to being charmed by the film's "never-give-up" tone.

He said: "It's very, very positive. Hopeful. Almost a never-give-up kind of thing.

"In life, you see all the different things that infiltrate the good things in life. Things that surprise you come out of nowhere. Like when you think you're making a move with someone who maybe is duplicitous.

"In terms of a younger person, or an older person, by now you guys must have learned this already, I hope, but the idea is that you can't always believe what somebody tells you.

"Sometimes it messes up all your hopes and dreams. But if you all stick together, possibly you could get out of it and there'll be a happy ending. And dreams do come true."