Bale enters the ring with Wahlberg in FIGHTER

[GreenScar]

Christian Bale has joined Walberg in Paramount's Fighter:

Christian Bale and director David O. Russell are poised to get into the ring with Mark Wahlberg on "The Fighter."

Relativity Media has stepped up to fully finance the film. Paramount Pictures, which initiated the project, will now be limited to distributing domestically.

The picture is expected to begin production in July, though Relativity stressed that the principals’ deals are still being negotiated.

Pic 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.

Project reteams Bale with Relativity and its fledgling one-off picture division, which produced the Bale starrer "3:10 to Yuma." Over the past few years, "The Fighter" has drawn some of Hollywood’s biggest talents but was KO’d on two previous occasions. The project first came together with Boston natives Wahlberg and Matt Damon toplining for director Darren Aronofsky. Damon dropped out and Brad Pitt was poised to replace him, but the picture still stalled. Then Aronofsky moved on.

Meanwhile, Wahlberg has continued to train for the pic and is in fighting shape.

David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman are producing through their Mandeville banner. Most recent script drafts were by Scott Silver and Lewis Colick (who rewrote the upcoming Zac Efron starrer "The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud").

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.

Russell previously worked with Wahlberg on "Three Kings" and "I Heart Huckabees." The director gets in the ring for the first time with Bale, who’ll next star in the McG-directed "Terminator Salvation" and the Michael Mann-helmed "Public Enemies." The director, who is repped by CAAhas signed on for three projects in recent weeks including "The Fighter": "Aaron and Sarah" at Fox 2000 and "The Silver Linings Playbook" for the Weinstein Co.

Wahlberg and Bale are repped by Endeavor.

[WyldeMan45]

So I guess somebody screwed up their facts because I remember reading all over the net earlier this month that Bale and Wahlberg where set to star in the Prisoners. But this sounds better anyways, and I know all about "Irish" Mickey Ward due to my extreme love of The Dropkick Murphys and the songs they write about him.


Christian Bale (The Dark Knight) will star in Prisoners, joining Mark Wahlberg in the thriller written by Aaron Guzikowski. The Blog adds that Bryan Singer would like to direct the pic, but there's no official word yet that he's come on board. The plot is described as follows:

After his 6-year-old daughter and her friend are kidnapped, a small-town carpenter butts heads with a young, brash detective in charge of the investigation. The father is a Bible-reading, deer-hunting survivalist. The cop, meanwhile, can't wait to get to the city. Feeling failed by the law, the father captures the man he believes responsible and begins to torture him in a desperate attempt to find out what he did with the girls, whom he's convinced are still alive.

[GreenScar]

Originally Posted by WyldeMan45

So I guess somebody screwed up their facts because I remember reading all over the net earlier this month that Bale and Wahlberg where set to star in the Prisoners. But this sounds better anyways, and I know all about "Irish" Mickey Ward due to my extreme love of The Dropkick Murphys and the songs they write about him.


Christian Bale (The Dark Knight) will star in Prisoners, joining Mark Wahlberg in the thriller written by Aaron Guzikowski. The Blog adds that Bryan Singer would like to direct the pic, but there's no official word yet that he's come on board. The plot is described as follows:

After his 6-year-old daughter and her friend are kidnapped, a small-town carpenter butts heads with a young, brash detective in charge of the investigation. The father is a Bible-reading, deer-hunting survivalist. The cop, meanwhile, can't wait to get to the city. Feeling failed by the law, the father captures the man he believes responsible and begins to torture him in a desperate attempt to find out what he did with the girls, whom he's convinced are still alive.

Prisoners is said to be one of the hottest screenplays right now.

[WyldeMan45]

Originally Posted by jasonbird

Prisoners is said to be one of the hottest screenplays right now.

Yeah I know but I highly doubt they signed on to do both of these back to back. But still I love fighting and movies about fighting and Wahlberg is real hit or miss for me, but I always love Bale's work so I'll see every movie he's in, regardless of which one they actually do I'm there.

[Diesel]

sounds good to me
i've loved almost every bale movie and this one probably won't be the exception

keep the good threads coming jason!

[tommyboy81]

Guess there's going to be 2 movies called Fighter. I thought this was the one coming out which is basically another part to Never Back Down. Previews look like a redone version of Lionheart

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by tommyboy81

Guess there's going to be 2 movies called Fighter. I thought this was the one coming out which is basically another part to Never Back Down. Previews look like a redone version of Lionheart

there is one coming out soon called Fighting
is that what your talking about?

[WyldeMan45]

Originally Posted by Diesel

there is one coming out soon called Fighting
is that what your talking about?

That's exactly what they are talking about, except for one thing. Channing Tatum and Terrance Howard are actually decent actors. And Cung Le is a bad ass! Fighting will be a lot better than Never Back Down.

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by WyldeMan45

That's exactly what they are talking about, except for one thing. Channing Tatum and Terrance Howard are actually decent actors. And Cung Le is a bad ass! Fighting will be a lot better than Never Back Down.

i saw the preview for that before F&F
it looks like a good movie

[tommyboy81]

Originally Posted by Diesel

there is one coming out soon called Fighting
is that what your talking about?

Oh. Yeah.

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by tommyboy81

Oh. Yeah.

you were close enough

[jadedeath]

Is Bale aloud to speak before the fights? If so Wahlberg is in trouble.

Logan

[andyman1970]

Sounds like it could be a good movie. And from reading the OP's quote on the details it sounds like a movie based on Dicky Eklund's rise and fall could be interesting as well.

[GreenScar]

Originally Posted by jadedeath

Is Bale aloud to speak before the fights? If so Wahlberg is in trouble.

Logan

[WyldeMan45]

Originally Posted by jadedeath

Is Bale aloud to speak before the fights? If so Wahlberg is in trouble.

Logan

"What the **** don't you understand!? What the **** don't you get about it, **** sake man your amateur!"

"Yeah, say hello to your mother for me!"

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by jadedeath

Is Bale aloud to speak before the fights? If so Wahlberg is in trouble.

Logan

you and me man, we're done professionally



also, like i said about the Prisoners movie
if mark doesnt use his power of talking to animals i will be pissed

[Offender_Mullet]

Ah....Marky Mark Wahlberg....if his performance is anywhere near as great as it was in The Happening, then get this guy's Oscar shined-up and ready!