If everything goes the way it's supposed to, Brad Pitt will be stepping into the ring with Mark Wahlberg for Darren Aronofsky's The Fighter.

Variety reports that Pitt is in talks to join the cast of the biopic, which traces the rise of boxer Micky Ward, who rose to prominence in the mid-'90s through a series of brutal, gutsy fights. Wahlberg is set to star as Micky; Pitt would play his older brother, Dickie Eklund, a boxer who saw his own career go off the rails. From the article:

Dicky threw his gifts away on drugs and a robbery career that landed him a sentence of 10-15 years in state prison -- but he kicked drugs, became a model prisoner and turned his life around. When he left jail, he became Mickey's trainer at a time when Ward was losing fights and was ready to hang up his gloves. Together, the brothers found the spark that led to a remarkable string of victories for Ward and the world title.

Until recently, Matt Damon was slated to play Eklund, but he had to drop out; Variety reports that he "just had too many projects on his dance card to make the film on the schedule Paramount wanted."

Wahlberg is currently training to get into shape for the role. The Fighter is scheduled to begin production next fall.

Pitt and Wahlberg will next be seen in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and We Own the Night, respectively.

Source: Variety