The Wrestler, staring Mickey Rourke, is building strong buzz going into it's pending debut at the Venice Film Festival on September 5th, and again two days later at the Toronto International Film Festival. Directed by Darren Aronofsky of Requiem for a Dream and Pi, The Wrestler follows the story of Randy "the ram" Robinson (Rourke), an ex-professional wrestler, forced into retirement by severe heart problems. Living with an aging stripper (Marisa Tomei) and her son, Robinson is drawn back into the sport by the prospect of a rematch with old nemesis the Ayatollah (Ernest Miller).
With whispers of oscar-worthy status in the air, The Wrestler is almost certain to get snatched up by a studio specialty division and dropped into a theater near you as soon as possible. Nicolas Cage was originally attached to play the title role, but left the project for undisclosed reasons. Director Darren Aronofsky was recently confirmed for MGM's 2010 reboot of the Robocop franchise.
Rourke and his on-set trainer, real-life wrestler Afa Anoa'i
