Even though Mark Wahlberg and David O. Russell can’t seem to get on the same page these days — the actor had to drop out of “The Silver Linings Playbook” recently due to scheduling woes — it still seems the pair are looking over each others’ shoulders. At the beginning of the year, you might remember that Russell was attached to rewrite and direct “2 Guns” with Vince Vaughn attached to star. Well, Russell and Wahlberg have swapped the project and Vaughn looks to have moved on.
Deadline reports that Wahlberg will now star in the action/comedy film which has a script by Blake Masters (“Brotherhood,” “Law & Order: Los Angeles“) but no director just yet. Based on the graphic novel by Steven Grant, the film would follow two lawmen—a DEA agent and an undercover naval officer—who investigate each other as each have been tasked to steal mob money. It’s a pretty great concept and Wahlberg can handle action and comedy just fine, but this is exactly the sort of project that will depend largely on who he winds up being paired with.
But there is plenty of time sort all of that out. Next up for Wahlberg is a trip to “Broken City” with Russell Crowe directed by Allen Hughes that will gear up to shoot in November. And while we won’t see him on the big screen again until next year, we’ll get plenty of Wahlberg in 2012 with “Ted” and “Contraband” already on the schedule and the Adam McKay-directed “Three Mississippi” aiming for a Thanksgiving release.