Christian Bale and director David O. Russell are jumping in the ring with Mark Wahlberg for Relativity Media’s The Fighter, which Paramount will release domestically.
The movie is a drama about boxer Irish Mickey Ward (Wahlberg) and his unlikely path to become world lightweight champion. Bale plays Dicky Eklund, Mickey’s half-brother and a talented fighter who once went the distance with Sugar Ray Leonard in a title fight but then turned to crime and landed in prison. Then he turned his life around and helped his underperforming brother find the spark for a remarkable run that led to the world title.
David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman are producing through their Mandeville production company. The film is expected to begin production in July.