On the eve of the Cannes Film Festival, Canadian indie producer Raven Banner Entertainment has optioned Craig Davidson’s second novel, The Fighter.

The deal follows the earlier Craig Davidson short story collection adapted to produce Jacques Audiard’s Rust & Bone, starring Marion Cotillard, which will have its world premiere in Cannes.

Novelist Davidson and Andrew Thomas Hunt will adapt The Fighter, with Hunt attached to direct the adaptation, now renamed The Fight Machine.

Set in the violent world of illegal bare-knuckle brawling, The Fight Machine tells the tale of two young men heading in opposite directions of life, and who unexpectedly find their destinies linked by violence.

Andrew Thomas Hunt previously directed Sweet Karma, a 70’s style femme-revenger, starring Playboy playmate Shera Bechard.

Image: Canadian edition, craigdavidson.net