Recent reports have labeled Aronofsky as being in final talks for the project, but according to Wahlberg, it sounds as if the "Requiem for a Dream" director is officially onboard and ready to move forward. "I talked to him on the phone two days ago," Wahlberg revealed to MTV News. "We're going to sit down with Matt and just figure out when we can start it."

"The Fighter" tells the true story of underdog boxing champ "Irish" Micky Ward (Wahlberg) and his trainer/brother Dick Eklund (Damon), following their lives from the rough-and-tumble streets of Lowell, Massachusetts to an internationally heralded bout at the world championships.

Wahlberg is adament that if they're going to make the movie, they'll do it the right way. "The whole thing is to make it look real," he said. "I want to do these guys justice. We don't want to do any over-the-top, unrealistic fight scenes."

For his part, the actor -- who's also gearing up for M. Night Shyamalan's "The Happening" -- promises that "The Fighter" will envoke memories of an earlier boxing classic. "If it ain't gonna be like "Raging Bull," then it ain't worth doing," he exclaimed. "These guys, they have the story. Their lives are incredible. The things that they went through, and the things that they overcame and endured. It's one of those amazing stories that I hope I get an opportunity to tell in my career. It's going to be one of them gems."