This should get plenty of people excited despite the lackluster box-office and reviews of Shooter this past weekend as Darren Aronofsky is in final negotiations to helm The Fighter for Paramount Pictures with Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon set to star. Yeah, quite a nice little start to a picture many will want to see.
The film reunites the two Departed stars in a film based on the life of boxer “Irish” Mickey Ward (Wahlberg) and his trainer brother Dick Eklund (Damon), the story chronicles their early days on the rough streets of Lowell, Mass., through Eklund’s battle with drugs and Ward’s eventual world championship in London. Wahlberg and Damon both hail from Boston, and Aronofsky and Damon attended nearby Harvard University.
It will be a bit of a departure from the unique style of films Aronofsky is used to telling, but I think it is about time we see him delve into yet another area of film.
Word is that Aronofsky is awaiting a Paul Attanasio rewrite of the script before signing on.
Aronofsky’s The Fountain is set to hit DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray on May 15.