After losing 25 pounds to portray a twisted videographer in the critically-acclaimed indie Nightcrawler, Jake Gyllenhaal put back on an extra 15 pounds of muscle to portray boxer Billy Hope, which you can see in the first photo from Southpaw. This is not the first time the actor has had to show off his muscles, following the 2010 video game adaptation Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Still, Jake Gyllenhaal is almost unrecognizable in this image, portraying Junior Middleweight champion Billy Hope, who loses everything after a personal tragedy and has to fight his way back to the top.

Antoine Fuqua directs this boxing drama, from a script by Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter. Speaking with Antoine Fuqua for The Equalizer back in September, the director briefly teased the transformation that Jake Gyllenhaal went through. Here's what the director had to say below:

"Southpaw, we're editing that now and I'm excited. Jake Gyllenhaal, I think he's on the rise, and he's intense. We completely changed him into a championship boxer. It's a heartfelt drama about him and his daughter. It's really powerful."

The project doesn't have a release date locked down yet, but this photo could be an indication that the first trailer is just around the corner. Antoine Fuqua said back in September that Harvey Weinstein wants to debut the first trailer by December, but a release date for the trailer has not been confirmed. Take a look at the first image of Jake Gyllenhaal in Southpaw below. We'll be sure to keep you posted as soon as the first trailer arrives.

Southpaw Jake Gyllenhaal Photo