Good news for disappointed fans who staggered away from Raging Bull wondering what happened "before the rage" and "after the rage". Raging Bull 2 is on the way, providing both a prequel and a sequel to Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winning biopic of boxing champion Jake LaMotta. Scorsese, on this occasion, is not involved.

Adapted, like the original film, from LaMotta's 1970 memoir, Raging Bull 2 promises to take the viewer "before the rage" and "after the rage". The film began shooting this week in Los Angeles, directed by Martin Guigui from a script co-written with Rustam Branaman. Newcomer Mojean Aria plays LaMotta in his youth, while William Forsythe stars as the legend in his anguished later years. The Movieline website reports that the production also finds supporting slots for the likes of Tom Sizemore, Natasha Henstridge, Penelope Ann Miller and Joe Mantegna.

Nicknamed "the Bronx Bull", LaMotta was the world middleweight champion from 1949 to 1951, when he lost on a technical knockout to Sugar Ray Robinson. Following his retirement, he owned and managed a number of bars, worked as a standup comedian and took a cameo role in the Paul Newman film The Hustler. Now aged 90, LaMotta is still active on the autograph circuit.

Scorsese's 1980 biopic cast Robert De Niro in the lead role and focused on LaMotta's use of violence, both inside and outside the ring, and his eventual fall from grace. The film won Oscars for De Niro and its editor, Thelma Schoonmaker, and is widely regarded as one of the finest American films ever made. If nothing else, Raging Bull 2 earns points for hubris.