David O. Russell and Christian Bale have proven that their work together yields results — most notably Bale's Oscar-winning performance in "The Fighter" — and now the talented team may be pairing up to see if they can strike gold again.

Variety reports that Russell, who recently finished shooting "The Silver Linings Playbook" with Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, is attached to the project "American Bulls**t" with Bale as his star.

The movie is based on the true story of Abscam, an FBI sting operation that snared members of Congress, the Senate and the INS during the 1970s and '80s.

While some outlets reported that Russell's work on the movie was a done deal, the director clarified his involvement with the picture, saying, "Reports that I am attached to 'American Bulls**t' are premature. It is something I am in early discussions on and I have great respect for Chuck Roven and Christian Bale. I am also developing other projects and have not chosen my next film."

Russell isn't the only director who's been eyeing the Eric Warren Singer-penned script, which earned a spot at number 8 on the 2010 Black List. Ben Affleck, hot off his success with "The Town" was said to be keen on helming the project.