After 2010's "The Fighter" scored at the box office and earned Oscars for supporting performers Christian Bale and Melissa Leo, star-producer Mark Wahlberg immediately begin talking about a sequel. After a while, talk tapered off, but now Wahlberg seems to be making the film a priority among the multiple projects he's juggling as an actor and as a producer. 

Wahlberg told Collider that he and his co-producers are waiting on a script by "Fighter" writer Scott Silver, and that it will focus on Mickey Ward's relationship with boxing opponent-turned-friend Arturo Gatti.

“It’s definitely a priority but I don’t think it’s necessarily gonna be a sequel, it’s really kind of it’s own thing about the Ward/Gatti wars and this crazy relationship that came out of these fights," Wahlberg explained. "After the first fight they became very close friends, yet two more times they went in there and tried to kill each other and caused a lot of physical and mental damage that really took a toll on them, and certainly still takes a toll on Micky to this day. Scott Silver is gonna be writing it and hopefully he’s writing as we speak.” 

Though the film is in very early stages, Wahlberg wants to re-visit the territory sooner rather than later, noting that he'd like it to start shooting within the next year or so.

Meanwhile, Wahlberg also seems to be set on Michael Bay's small pet project "Pain and Gain" after all. Unlike the director's gigantic "Transformers" films, "Pain" would be smaller in scale and is based on the real-life story of bonehead bodybuilders who get in over their heads in the criminal underworld when a kidnapping scheme goes awry. Although it was rumored he'd dropped out of the project, Wahlberg cleared up the confusion. "No, I didn’t drop out of it either, they’re waiting on a rewrite for the script… I just spoke to Ari [Emanuel] who represents me as well as Michael [Bay] and we’re waiting on a script.” 

"Pain and Gain" would put Wahlberg alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as the two would-be criminals. 

Keeping busy, Wahlberg also has plans to reunite with his "Other Guys" co-star Will Ferrell in "Turkey Bowl," and is also keen on making a film with Justin Bieber.