YouTube-certified volcanic hot-heads Christian Bale and David O. Russell will combine forces with Mark Wahlberg (himself known for the occasional beatdown) on The Fighter, a boxing movie that production-warfare experts suggest could produce the most tantrum-friendly set since Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.
The true tale of Boston fighter "Irish" Mickey Ward and his half-brother trainer's journey to the world lightweight championships, it was once supposed to star Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg and be directed by Darren Aronofsky, who knows from bloody underdog stories. But Damon dropped out, and despite some talk of Brad Pitt stepping in, the project stalled. Aronofsky eventually pulled out.
Though the contracts are not signed, Variety reports that the mercurial star of The Dark Knight is all but officially on board, and it won't be long before the pungent smell of testosterone permeates the streets of Lowell, MA. But contrary to expectations, the three men will find common ground in their outsized Hollywood alpha-egos, limiting their purple-faced conniptions to one per day, as they take turns verbally degrading a rotating cast of light-tweaking D.P.s and substandard background players.
ยท Bale in ring with Wahlberg for 'Fighter' [Variety]