Amy Adams Joins Wahlberg, Bale in ‘Fighter’

Published by Jeff Leins on: June 30th, 2009

Production on The Fighter is scheduled to finally start this summer and casting is now being finalized.  Amy Adams is in final negotiations to join Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale in the sports biography.  David O. Russell is directing.

Adams will play Charlene, a “gritty bartender” from Massachusetts who ends up dating Wahlberg’s character, “Irish” Mickey Ward.  The film tells the story of Ward’s rise to success in the lightweight boxing division with the help of his half-brother, Dicky Eklund (Bale).  Melissa Leo has already agreed to play Eklund/Ward’s mother.

Over the years, the project has attracted some of Hollywood’s top talent, including Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, and director Darren Aronofsky.  The writers strike and other sports movies have been a damper on the match-ups, but Relativity Media has finally settled on Bale and Wahlberg as the leads.  The movie starts shooting this July in Lowell, MA.

I’m happy to see Amy Adams getting more roles.  She’s one of the best actresses working today and is consistently good.  Plus she’s a redhead, so she wins points from the pale people like me.