Source: Variety
The long-rumored and long-delayed Micky Ward film The Fighter is back on, and according to IMDB is scheduled for a 2011 release. Mark Wahlberg (who has headed the project for a couple years now) will play Ward, and Christian Bale is now on deck to play Ward's half-brother, fighter Dicky Eklund, whose story is even more compelling than Micky's in a lot of ways. David O. Russell will direct.
I've been really hoping this actually gets made ever since Wahlberg first seemed really serious about it. It's obviously a passion project for him (Wahlberg is a Boston native and a huge fight fan) and it's the type of story that can really sell boxing as something that didn't apparently die when Mike Tyson went to prison. Believe it or not there are still great, inspiring stories all over the sport. Ward was sort of a real-life Rocky. I mean who the hell was Micky Ward? And then all of a sudden there he is, putting on these great fights and clawing his way to the top.
Bale seems a better choice to play Eklund than Matt Damon did, but Bale v. Brad Pitt (who was set to replace Damon) seems like a push. I wish Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler) was still going to direct, too, but alas...