Brad Pitt Replaces Matt Damon in 'The Fighter'
Filed under: Drama, Casting, Deals, Fandom, Newsstand, Brad Pitt
Director Darren Aronofsky's last project, The Fountain, had to shut down production once Brad Pitt dropped out. Thankfully, Aronofsky managed to resurrect the film on half the budget, and enticed Hugh Jackman to fill Pitt's shoes. And it's funny sometimes the way things work out -- because, now, on Aronofsky's next film, The Fighter, he once again found himself in a spot where an actor had to depart due to a busy schedule. That actor is Matt Damon. And who is his replacement? Brad Pitt. It's almost laughable -- the way it all came full circle -- but it's also an excellent addition to the film. In my opinion, Pitt and Damon are two of the best actors working today; swapping one out for the other is a non-issue as I'm sure both are capable of handling this sort of content.
According to Variety, The Fighter, which now finds Pitt co-starring alongside Mark Wahlberg, follows the life of boxer Irish Mickey Ward. Pitt will play Mickey's half-brother Dicky (not making that up, folks); a fighter himself, who once fought folks like Sugar Ray Leonard, but later found himself lost in a life of crime, shacked up in prison. From there, Dicky turns his life around, and helps teach his underperforming brother how to become a champion. And so it goes -- uplifting, heroic, the whole nine. Pitt will most likely shoot the film once he's done starring in State of Play opposite Edward Norton for Universal. For fans of Aronofsky who were dying to see him pair up with the likes of Pitt, hopefully your time has finally come. That is, unless Pitt doesn't ditch this project too. Fingers crossed.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-20-2007 @ 7:11PM
YouFaceTheTick said...
Damon acts? Guy's been on autopilot since Good Will Hunting was a success. He's made a bunch of middling simplistic films like Bourne flicks, Syriana, Departed and Oceans trilogy since Hunting. Not exactly the resume of an actor - more movie star.
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9-20-2007 @ 7:15PM
Erik Davis said...
Did you see The Departed? I also think he's great in the Bourne films, was good in Syriana too. I think he's due for another great drama, or a dark comedy, but, yes, I think he's a fantastic actor.
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9-20-2007 @ 7:28PM
YouFaceTheTick said...
Erik, yeah I suffered through The Departed. Damon's character was woefully underwritten, so maybe he's not totally at fault. Perhaps we should just blame the director and writers for ripping off a better film and cutting out character development? Dunno but I do know many of his character's beats made no sense within the confines of the film's story. Had he been a cop and living a large life for 6-7 years, then I'd buy that he was living this double-life and he had a hard time giving it all up. But that's not how The Departed was scripted.
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9-20-2007 @ 7:52PM
Shawn Kaufman said...
Good Will Hunting. Saving Private Ryan. Ocean's Eleven. Ocean's Twelve. Ocean's Thirteen. The Bourne Identity. The Bourne Supremacy. The Bourne Ultimatum. The Departed. Syriana. Enough Said.
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9-20-2007 @ 9:49PM
Rufus said...
Don't Forget 'The Brothers' Grimm' - hey it was fun, i didn't say a masterpiece but Damon showed he can play pseudo-comedy in a Gilliam world.
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9-20-2007 @ 11:16PM
Zach Isso said...
This is ironic. I'm guessing Brad Pitt apologized to Darren.
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