Wahlberg and Bale will film 'The Fighter' in Lowell

Mark Wahlberg, a Dorchester native who has gone on to star in a slew of big-budget Hollywood flicks including the recent “Max Payne,” will return to his Boston roots this July with the on-and-off again flick chronicling the early days of Boston boxer “Irish” Micky Ward called “The Fighter.”

Christian Bale and director David O. Russell have signed on to go a few rounds with Wahlberg. The good news? Production of "The Fighter" has officially been greenlit to hit the gritty streets of Lowell in July.

Bale, slotted to play the boxer's half-brother Dicky Eklund, a fallen fighter who ends up in the slammer after a drug-fueled robbery spree, reportedly got into character on Tuesday, May 12 by shadow boxing Eklund on the streets of the Highlands section of Lowell.

According to the Lowell Sun here, Bale made stops at the former Highland Tap and Captain John's in Cupples Square, Ramos Package Store on Branch Street and Eklund's former home on Wilder Street.

On Monday, May 11, Wahlberg met with Eklund at the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Lowell to discuss locations to film scenes for the Ward biopic. Relativity Media has stepped up to finance the film and Paramount Pictures plans to distribute domestically.

After the tour in Lowell, Bale headed to the InterContinental Boston located at 500 Atlantic Ave. to unwind. Wahlberg and Bale will head back to Boston and Lowell to begin filming "The Fighter" in July.

Click here for the latest on "The Fighter."