Now that Relativity Media has stepped up to finance The Fighter, leaving Paramount Pictures with domestic distribution, Mark Wahlberg has finally found some company with the addition of Christian Bale to the film's cast.
Christian Bale for The Fighter
Written by Scott Silver and Lewis Colick, The Fighter tells the story of Boston fighter "Irish" Mickey Ward and how he was helped to the world lightweight championship by half-brother Dicky Eklund. Eklund once decked Sugar Ray Leonard and went the distance against the boxing legend before forfeiting his career to drugs and crime. He redeemed himself by training Ward through his Rocky-like run to the title.
The project had been in limbo for some time, with talent such as Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Darren Aronofsky orbiting the production at one time or another.
Wahlberg has been training for the film and is considered ready to go for production, which is set to begin this July.
David O. Russell will direct.
Wahlberg will play Ward, a fighter who was losing bouts and was ready to hang up the gloves when his brother came back into his life. Bale will play Eklund, whose drugs and robbery spree drew him a 10- to 15-year sentence in state prison. There, he kicked drugs, became a model prisoner and emerged as a changed man who helped his brother reach the glory that eluded him.
Add to Heffee!
