Aronofsky in "Fighter" shape for boxing drama

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Darren Aronofsky is in final talks to direct "The Fighter," a boxing drama reteaming "The Departed" stars Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon.

Based on the life of boxer "Irish" Mickey Ward (Wahlberg) and his trainer brother Dick Eklund (Damon), the Paramount Pictures saga 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, while Aronofsky and Damon attended nearby Harvard University.

The film, with its conventional narrative, would mark a departure for Aronofsky, whose 1998 breakthrough "Pi," acclaimed 2000 followup "Requiem for a Dream" and recent box office bomb "The Fountain" offered hallucinatory explorations of existential issues. Sources said Aronofsky is awaiting a script rewrite before signing on.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter