Well now we don't have to worry about getting The Fighter mixed up with The Wrestler. The film about half-brother boxers Mickey Ward and Dicky Ekllund had been under Darren Aronofsky's wing for years, with Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon (later replaced by Brad Pitt) on board to star. Now the film is about to finally go forward, but with Christian Bale negotiating to start opposite Wahlberg, and David O. Russell heading toward the director's chair.

That's a pretty massive shake-up, even though it seemed clear that Aronofsky probably wouldn't have time for the film, given his long gestation periods between projects and existing plans for a Robocop remake. Variety doesn't get into the details of how the change of power happened, simply noting that Aronofsky "moved on." Nor is it clear how Russell got the job.

There are endless jokes to be made about Russell and Bale, both of them famous for leaked on-set tantrums, working together on a movie called The Fighter. I just consider this an open call for someone to mash up the two, give us an idea of what the behind-the-scenes atmosphere might be on this set. "What don't you fucking understand?!" "Act like a fucking grown-up!" TMZ, prepare your hidden cameras.