Jessica
It’s no secret that Paramount Pictures wants director Michael Bay to crank out a “Transformers 4” and 5 given how much money all those films make, but since Shia LaBeouf won’t be returning, Bay has since stated that he’ll be concentrating on his next project, “Pain and Gain”.
Ever since Bay stated that piece of news back in October, news has come up about “Pain and Gain”. Bay has chosen “Fast Five” actor Dwayne Johnson to star in the film, which he is currently in early negotiations for.
Johnson’s “The Other Guys” co-star Mark Wahlberg was also set to star in the film, but Variety reports while both actors have discussed the film with Bay, Wahlberg’s busy schedule forced him to pass on the project Monday afternoon and he is no longer expected to pursue the project.
Johnson remains a frontrunner for one of the two lead roles, though sources caution that it’s still early in the casting process.
Based on a Miami New Times article from 1999, “Pain and Gain” will follow a pair of Florida bodybuilders who get caught up in an extortion ring and a kidnapping scheme that goes terribly wrong.
“Captain America” writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely wrote the original script and have compared its tone to the Coen brothers’ “Fargo,” which was also based on a true crime story.
The dark comedy is budgeted at around $20 million.
