The Fighter Rises From The Dead

Wahlberg and Bale are ready to punch it out

It’s no surprise that every once in awhile you’ll hear of said movie falling through the cracks through it’s development stage, either being buried forever or being revived in some way shape or form again. Such is the case with Paramount Pictures and Relativity Media’s latest film, The Fighter. Having gone through one big name Tinseltown star after another to throw into the ring, the film eventually silenced when Matt Damon dropped out and Darren Aronofsky trickled away, leaving Brad Pitt to sit on his hands.

Now, breathing new life with director David O. Russell (I Heart Huckabees) and re-filling the roles of the two main characters with Terminator Salvation star Christian Bale and Max Payne’s Mark Wahlberg, the film is well underway in pre-production again. The film revolves around the story of Boston fighter “Irish” Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and how he was helped to the world lightweight championship by half-brother Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale). 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.

This film will once again reunite Wahlberg and Russell together, having previously worked on films like I Heart Huckabees and Three Kings. Initial filming is set for july with a to be announced 2011 release date.