The Fighter is one of those films that had production stalled again and again; with Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler) looking to direct it for several years (before moving on to the more popcorn friendly Wolverine 2), and both Matt Damon (The Bourne Identity) and Brad Pitt (Seven) attached to star at one point; but it managed to pick itself up off the canvas, get made, and is now beginning its initial promotion.
The film chronicles the true-life tale of boxer “Irish: Micky Ward, who appeared to be at the peak of his career, before it suddenly plummeted, and he was left to deal with a number of potentially career-damaging family issues; including trying to look after his crime-prone brother Dicky; before managing to surpass all the odds, and everyone’s expectations, by battling his way back to the top of his profession, and earning everybody’s respect.
Mark Wahlberg (the Max Payne star who has recently been linked to the remake of The Crow) is playing the leading role of the down-and-out boxer Micky; in what appears at first glance to be a fantastic performance, and possibly career defining role; and will be joined by Christian Bale (Batman Begins), who will be appearing as Micky’s, small-time crook, brother Dicky.
Amy Adams (Enchanted) and Melissa Leo (21 Grams) will also be appearing in supporting roles, in the film that has been written by Scott Silver (8 Mile), and Paul Tamasy (Air Bud), and been directed by David O. Russell (the Three Kings director that was recently linked to the big-screen adaptation of the Uncharted games), and is already receiving a huge amount of awards buzz.
The Fighter; which tells a, Cinderella Man type, story of a once great fighter battling his way back to the big-time, against the odds, and through a good deal of drama outside the ring; is being released in the U.S. on December 10th, and in the U.K. on February 4th, but has it’s official trailer available below.
