Variety reports that Amy Adams is in negotiations to star in The Fighter alongside Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, and Melissa Leo, who was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Frozen River.
Due for release sometime in 2011, The Fighter is being directed by David O. Russell, who helmed I Heart Huckabees, Three Kings, Spanking the Monkey, and the upcoming political comedy Nailed starring Jessica Biel and Jake Gyllenhaal. The Fighter is based on the true story of "Irish" Micky Ward, a boxer from South Boston who rose to prominence on the welterweight circuit during the mid-1980s.
Wahlberg will portray Ward, while Bale will play Ward's half-brother, Dicky Eklund, who recovered from drug addiction to help guide Ward's career. Leo will portray Ward's mother. If cast, Adams would play the part of a bartender who develops a romantic relationship with Ward.
Adams's other upcoming projects include Julie & Julia, in which she will star opposite Meryl Streep. She also recently finished filming for Anand Tucker's romantic comedy Leap Year.