BREAKING: Mark Wahlberg to Star in Shyamalan's 'The Happening'
Filed under: Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Casting, 20th Century Fox
Variety is reporting that Mark Wahlberg has just signed to star in M. Night Shyamalan's new thriller, The Happening. Shyamalan has a lot to prove this time out. Audiences were ready to forgive the ludicrous ending of the otherwise pretty neat The Village, but nobody could have expected the full-on disaster that was Lady in the Water, a film that recently "won" Shyamalan two Razzie awards. The Happening will be an apocalyptic story and will likely be his first "R" rated film. Wahlberg will play "a man who takes his family on the run when the world turns upside and a cataclysmic natural crisis threatens to end the world. " 20th Century Fox will release the film worldwide on June 13th (that's Friday the 13th, y'all! Spooooky!) of next year.
Marky Mark has turned into quite the actor, and he's worked with several of the most interesting directors working today. To name just a few, he's acted for Paul Thomas Anderson in Boogie Nights, Jonathan Demme in The Truth About Charlie, Tim Burton in Planet of the Apes (Boo!), David O. Russell in Three Kings and I Heart Huckabees -- a production that seems to have just been a dream to work on, and Martin Scorsese in The Departed -- which I recently told you also didn't go so smoothly. Just last month it was announced that he will co-star with Matt Damon in Darren Aronofsky's The Fighter. And now Shyamalan, who I sincerely hope will get his groove back with The Happening. I think if he'd just get that ego in check, he could be one of our best directors. The Happening starts shooting in Philadelphia this August.
"Mark has a unique blend of charisma, humanity, authenticity and skillfulness as an actor," Shyamalan says. "All of which coalesced at this moment in his career, making him the perfect person to take on the role of Eliot Moore, the science teacher at the center of this event."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-29-2007 @ 9:09PM
kaitlin Hess said...
........." a man who takes his family on the run when the world turns upside and a cataclysmic natural crisis threatens to end the world."
Haven't i seen this movie before.....several times???
Doesnt sound promising or original.
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3-29-2007 @ 9:58PM
Seeh Oly Watchman said...
I literally hope Shyamalan will use the power of "The Ancient Secret Code" to make his next movie infinitely more sweet cash wads than that last Lady Water crap. I am very glad to see that he is hiring bodybuilders. That is an important step.
http://www.theancientsecretcode.com
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3-30-2007 @ 4:38AM
bgdc said...
Nothing wrong with Lady in the Water. His first two films, for my money, were his weakest.
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3-30-2007 @ 4:42AM
bgdc said...
**"Marky Mark has turned into quite the actor, and ..."**
Well that's good for a hearty laugh. He'a a one-note actor with the range of a broken squirt gun. The guy's presence in a movie always brings the quality down a peg or two. From boogie nights to 3 kings to the departed, Marky Mark plays essentially the same character over and over and over again. He's Tom Cruise but without the Scientology and big smile.
I will give him props for I Heart Huckabess as at least that character had a personality that seemed to deviate greatly from Marky genuine day-to-day personality of southie posturing ass-clown.
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3-30-2007 @ 1:41PM
Eric said...
Someone can't read a calendar. JULY the 13th is a Friday.
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3-30-2007 @ 2:01PM
patrick.walsh.pm8n said...
I can read a calendar just fine -- June 13th "OF NEXT YEAR" is most definitely a Friday.
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4-01-2007 @ 2:19PM
Leah said...
I just (re)watched Fear on friday night and that movie is so awesome that Marky Mark can do no wrong. And I loved him in The Departed, his role was much needed. Give him a break.
"Now I've popped both your cherries!"
"Wiiiiiiiiiiiiild horses, couldn't drag me away" (that scene was filmed on my favourite rollercoaster and re-enacted by many Vancouverites I'm sure)
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