Eminem has decided to press pause on the boxing movie he was working on, at least for now.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the rapper has decided to postpone production on the film, possibly to work on music instead.

As we mentioned last year, the "8 Mile" actor had announced he'd star in "Southpaw," which follows a welterweight boxer battling to get his life and career back on track.

To that end, he'd sought film incentives in Michigan for the first quarter of 2012 via what was billed as the "Untitled MGM Project." But the financial application has since been withdrawn, with the cited reason being a "talent issue," the Free Press reports.

Eminem's reps have confirmed the decision came from Slim Shady himself.

"He's focusing on his music right now, so while he's doing that, while he's in that space, he wanted to put this on hold for the time being," his rep said.

"Southpaw" is expected to be shot in Detroit and its immediate suburbs. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the film is expected to employ more than 200 crew members and more than 9,000 extras when it gets rolling.