Russell Crowe dislocates shoulder

Russell Crowe has dislocated a shoulder while training for a boxing scene in his coming film Cinderella Man, Universal Pictures said today.

It happened in Sydney, Australia, according to the studio, and the star will immediately undergo arthroscopic repair surgery followed by physical therapy.

The studio said it should delay the start of filming by about one month, from early March to April.

The film, about Depression-era boxer and folk hero Jim Braddock, co-stars Renee Zellweger and will be directed by Ron Howard, who previously collaborated with Crowe on the Oscar-winning A Beautiful Mind.

“I’ve never known any actor who dedicates himself to a part with more intensity than Russell,” said Brian Grazer, producer of Cinderella Man.

He added: “Russell has been training with some of the foremost boxing instructors in the world, and that commitment is what led to the injury to his shoulder.”

Crowe, who has had physically demanding roles in such films as Gladiator, and more recently Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, injured the same shoulder while training for the coming Jodie Foster-directed film Flora Plum. He eventually had to drop out of that role.

The previous repair to the shoulder remains intact, Universal said, and the new injury is in a different area.