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With Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler being hailed as a triumphant comeback for actor Mickey Rourke, studios are gambling that moviegoers are hungry for more inspiring stories of redemption. Here’s a look at five films that are currently in production for release early next year:

The Seat Filler
Back in the ‘80s, Jimmy “Cushions” Carney (William Baldwin) was Hollywood’s most in-demand televised awards show audience replacement professional. Then the fame and power went to his head, resulting in a famous altercation where Jack Nicholson (in an unbilled cameo as himself) knocked out his teeth for refusing to relinquish Nicholson’s chair. Twenty years later, Jimmy’s a washed up alcoholic living in rented rooms and surviving on the occasional gig bulking out the dais at benefits for geriatric diseases. But when his former agent takes pity on him and lands him a spot at the Academy Awards—the scene of both his greatest triumph and lowest moment—Jimmy realizes that it’s his one last chance to make the industry take notice, and to regain the respect and affection of his estranged lesbian daughter (Winona Ryder).
Tagline: “In every man’s life there comes a time to take a stand.”

The Big Eater
During the Reagan years, Tumi “Tummy” Takari (Gedde Watanabe) was the brightest star in the glamorous—and dangerous—firmament of competitive eating. But a burst appendix and a decision to embrace vegetarianism turned him into a mere memory on the gut-busting scene. When the brash new champion discovers Tumi sweeping the floors at a vegan patisserie, he goads the old man into one last contest. Can Tumi show the world that he’s still hungry—and reunite with his estranged trangendered son (Stacy Ferguson), or will the effort prove fatal to his weakened system? It’s a heartbreaking tale of one man’s ultimate gut-check.
Tagline: “Twenty years later, he’s still hungry.”

The Don
In 1983, Frankie “Louie” Bartolini (Vincent Spano) was the youngest—and most powerful—crime boss in Mafia history. But after the Feds flipped his cousin (Eric Roberts) and convicted him of multiple racketeering charges, the good times ended. Released after twenty years in prison, he needs to find his way back into a world where sanitation contracts are awarded on the basis of meritorious bids, the drug trade is now controlled by unscrupulous doctors with itchy prescription fingers, and the only worthwhile crime is being committed by hedge fund managers. Can he return to the top without returning to jail? And will he be able to fix his relationship with Frankie “Louie” Jr. (Jason Biggs), the polyamorous son who wants nothing to do with him? Spano delivers the performance of a lifetime as a man caught between two worlds.
Tagline: “It’s always darkest before The Don.”

The Screenwriter
Arnie Gornfeld (Judd Hirsch) made his career as the film industry’s most successful scripter of redemption movies. But that was back in the ‘80s, when all it took was a climactic scene in a boxing ring or weepy “moment of realization” monologue for an audience to feel the pathos. These days, Arnie is reduced to punching up dialogue for sitcoms on The CW. But when an aspiring screenwriter with the modern touch (Wes Anderson, in an uncredited cameo) overdoses on Klonopin before he can complete his hotly-anticipated new screenplay, a nervous studio head (Adam West) gives Grunfeld one last shot at making the kind of movie that women from 30 to 55 will see more than once and tell their friends about. Can he pull it off? And will he be able to mend the broken ties with Gary (Keanu Reeves), his hermaphroditic firstborn who has been in a coma for five years after a snowmobile accident for which Arnie may be responsible? The climactic “final page” scene will be talked about for ages, and Reeves’ silent, immobile performance is sure to be rewarded with an Oscar.
Tagline: “You can’t rewrite your life. But sometimes you can change the ending.”

POTUS
John W. James (Kevin Costner) has a problem: even though he’s the most powerful man in the world, he’s considered an irrelevant loser. After involving his country in a disastrous war which was sold on false evidence and presiding over the most spectacular collapse of the economy in generations, his colleagues, the media, and the public at large cannot wait until he finishes his presidency and his charismatic young successor is sworn in. He’s even estranged his daughter to the point where she votes for the opposition. But this president isn’t going to go without a fight: a fight against Iran. Can he single-handedly convince an electorate which hates him to sign on for one last mission? Or will he take matters into his own hands? It’s a chilling vision of a failure’s final shot at redemption.
Tagline: “What’s the point of being POTUS if they don’t notice?”