The idea of a sequel to “The Fighter” is a cute thought. One has to assume high of the success off the picture (some seven odd years in the making) producer/actor Mark Wahlberg and director David O. Russell — who have worked together on three films so far, “Three Kings,” “I Heart Huckabees” and the aforementioned pugilist picture — were just shitcking ideas around in a celebratory fashion.
“‘The Fighter 2,’ woooo! We got two Oscars tonight!” But if Wahlberg is still just coasting off the fumes of ecstasy, one has to assume they’re pretty frickin’ strong.
Echoing sentiments he already voiced earlier this year, Wahlberg said during the Spike Guys Choice Awards (via ComingSoon), “We left out the Aturo Gatti fights for a reason,” Wahlberg announced, after the picture won the “Guy Movie of the Year.” “Because that’s for ‘Fighter 2’. We’re not going to do ‘Fighter’ 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, but we’re gonna do 2. We’re gonna do the Ward/Gatti trilogy.”
What, no eight installment franchise? What a relief. Ok, he was at another event and getting accolades so perhaps these further plaudits are fueling a punch drunk enthusiam, but you gotta hand it to the dude, he sounds pretty damn insistent.
Will it actually happen? Well, Wahlberg and O. Russell are teaming up again. They had one collabo in the works, the video game adaptation “Drake’s Uncharted” that the director bailed on and then traded in for another, the more-in-his-wheelhouse, “The Silver Linings Playbook” (also with Wahlberg) which if you believe the early rumors may, may, possibly co-star Angelina Jolie.
“The Fighter was nominated for six Academy Awards and won two (Christian Bale and Melissa Leo for Supporting Actors). O. Russell was nominated for the Directors Guild of America prize (and a Best Directing Oscar) and Bale and Leo both took home Screen Actors Guild awards. Not too shabby, though if they are going to make a sequel, it’s going to be none too easy to put that stellar cast back together. We wouldn’t be surprised if Wahlberg soldiered on and O. Russell — much of a chameleon with his directing projects — took on a producing role instead.
People who are opposed to the idea of The Fighter 2 obviously know nothing about Micky Ward\’s career. No Micky Ward story is complete without covering the three Arturo Gatti fights – just showing those three bouts consecutively would be enough to win my pick for best picture. There\’s enough drama just in the ring to fit another full-length feature, let alone all the other out-of-the-ring material about Gatti\’s extraordinary life. I think a sequel, but this time focused around Arturo Gatti, would be an amazing story. It could culminate with the controversy surrounding his wife\’s suspected murder of him in Brazil.
Nobody cared about the Shea Neary or Alfonso Sanchez fights, let alone the career of Dick Eklund, until these movies came out. If you ask 9 out of 10 true boxing fans about Micky Ward, their first sentence would include the words \”Arturo Gatti\”. It was easily one of the greatest trilogies of all time, better than Ali-Frazier.
I agree. A sequel would be stupid.
A Boogie Nights sequel? I never heard of any talk of that. That would be a horrible idea. Boogie Nights is my favorite film ever and I can\’t see any reason for a sequel to ever be made. But I also trust PTA with anything, so as long as he was involved I\’d be psyched. But this obviously isn\’t happening….just weird that I never remember hearing any talk of that if its true.
@Paul
Don\’t forget the amount of times Mr. Wahlberg has said he\’s \”trying to convince PT Anderson to do a Dirk Diggler sequel\”
I believe this as much as The Departed 2 (The ReDeparted?) Wahlberg was talking about 5 years ago.
Remember? It was to be an epic about Wahlberg\’s Srgt. Dignam going undercover to reveal Senator Robert DeNiro was corrupt. Martin Scorsese was going to come back to directing & spend the next decade of his career doing The Srgt. Dignam chronicles?
Yeah… that\’s going to happen soon.
Good thinkin\’ Rodie.
When Bale starts talking about The Fighter 2, I\’ll get excited. Until then, I think I\’ll tuck it away in the \”wishful thinking\” category.