Ryan's Hope

To KO a title as romantic-comedy champ, portray a real-life boxing promoter -- in this case, Jackie Kallen. ''It's a departure from what we're used to seeing from Meg Ryan,'' says costar Omar Epps, who plays boxer Luther Shaw. Meanwhile, Charles S. Dutton, best known for his three-year starring role on ''Roc,'' flexes his directorial muscles with his feature-film debut. Not that he was a featherweight as an auteur. According to Epps, the fight scenes are practically pay-per-view verite. ''Roc would just let the camera roll, the choreography's gone, and the next thing you know, you're either kicking some ass or getting your ass kicked,'' says Epps with a pained laugh. ''It hurt so much.'' (TBA)