The Fighter: Upcoming 2010

"The Fighter" is an upcoming biopic about light welterweight boxer "Irish" Micky Ward. Academy Award nominee Mark Wahlberg has trained for a whole year to portray the Lowell, Massachusetts native, Ward. The film will focus on the relationship between Ward and his brother turned trainer, Dickie Eklund. Dickie was boxer himself and nearly beat Sugar Ray Leonard in a 1978 bout, but had to retire in 1985 due to drug abruse. After retiring, Dickie became his brother's full-time trainer for 26 fights from 1985-1991, Micky retired in 1991. After a three year absence from boxing, Dickie pushed Ward back into the ring and from 1994-97, he won nine straight fights. These wins propelled him to face bigger known fighters like Emanuel Augustus and Arturo Gatti. Micky was made famous for beating Augustus in 2001 and Gatti in 2002. Ward faced Gatti two more times over a course of a year, losing both times. Micky retired for the last time following his second loss to Gatti. The film will co-star Christian Bale as Dickie Eklund, Academy Award nominee Amy Adams as Ward's love interest, and Academy Award nominee Melissa Leo as a character not yet determined. To resemble the aging Eklund, Bale lost some weight and wore prosthetics on his face. The movie was written by "Donnie Brasco" writer Paul Attanasio and "Ghosts of Mississippi" writer Lewis Colick and directed by "Three Kings" and "I Heat Huckabees" director David O. Russell. "The Fighter" will be released sometime in 2010.