Caffeinated Clint
Oscar Nominee could be playing Duke
Mark Wahlberg starring in ‘G.I Joe’? Yeah, Ok, I can see that. That works.
Its funny. Anytime a studio is in need of a muscly young hero… they go straight to Marky Mark. Yeah, it also probably has a bit to do with the fact that he’s now ‘Academy Award Nominee… Mark Wahlberg’, but this has been happening for a few years now. For instance : I remember Peter Berg telling me, when he was attached to direct the “Splinter cell” movie, that Wahlberg was essentially the only guy he had in mind to play Sam Fisher. No word if that’s still the case – Berg has left the project – but it wouldn’t surprise me.
Lorenzo di Bonaventura, the producer of Wahlberg’s latest movie “Shooter”, told IESB that he’s keen for Wahlberg to wear the camouflaged panties on that one – playing Duke, one of the heavies in the “Joe” team. And Wahlberg – who you’d think might be chasing more “Departed” like roles after his recent nod – has agreed to do it.
“You know what, I’ll do whatever Lorenzo wants me to do; it really depends on the script, obviously, but it’s a cool idea”, Wahlberg tells the site. “He says it’s going to be kick ass, so yeah. But he’s already putting that out there, so who knows. He knows how to get me to say ‘yes.'”
The movie is said to be set before the rise of the COBRA organization, the film will show how the man the world will one day call Cobra Commander created his terrorist organization and honed it into a worldwide threat. Other COBRA characters, such as Destro and Stormshadow, are being planned to be included in the film. As for who is on the JOE team, look for appearances by the team’s main players, such as Duke, Hawk and Snake Eyes.
Wahlberg seems intent on mixing it up still, which is good. He’ll no doubt be doing some more critically-minded dramas in the future (he’s already in talks for “The Departed 2”, for instance), but he’s also not forgetting his popcorn blockbuster roots. Keepin’ everyone happy.
