The film is about the early boxing career of Claressa "T-Rex" Shields, a fighter from Flint, Michigan, including her competing at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Originally titled Flint Strong during development, The Fire Inside premiered in the Special Presentations section of the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2024, and was released in the United States by Amazon MGM Studios on December 25, 2024.

On October 7, 2016, Universal Pictures hired Barry Jenkins to adapt the 2015 documentary T-Rex, about boxer Claressa Shields, for the big screen, with the possibility to direct the new film.

[16] All tracks are written by Tamar-kali.In July 2024, The Fire Inside was announced as part of the Special Presentations section at the Toronto International Film Festival scheduled for September 7, 2024.

[18] In the United States and Canada, The Fire Inside was released alongside Nosferatu, Babygirl, and A Complete Unknown, and was projected to gross around $5 million from 2,006 theaters in its five-day opening weekend.

The website's consensus reads: "Equal measures inspiring, and enraging, this typical sports drama knows how to take a hit and dole them out with enough emotion and vigor to stoke The Fire Inside.