Mark Wahlberg and Peter Berg seem to have a pretty good thing going on right now. The two have partnered up for Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon and Patriots Day and all three have been received pretty well by both critics and audiences alike. Now, hoping to extend their working relationship even further, the duo have announced that they’ll be getting back together for Mile 22.
Said to be the first of a planned trilogy, the film will have Wahlberg playing a CIA agent “responsible for transporting a witness out of a city in Indonesia to an airport 22 miles away. Between them and safety is an entire city of criminals, crooked cops, violent locals, and a number of other threats looking to prevent their escape.”
Speaking about his excitement for the project, Wahlberg had the following to say at CinemaCon this week:
“I’ve been able to make a lot of different movies in a lot of different genres, and I still don’t feel like I have the movie role that really kind of defines ‘me.’ When I say me and my body of work, I’m really hoping this is the thing. I’m hoping the first thing you think of when you think Mark Wahlberg is Mile 22.”
Berg also chimed in with his thoughts, saying that Mile 22 is going to be a “big ass action movie.”
“Mark and I have made three films now that are pretty heavy, to put it mildly. For us, to do Mile 22 and something that’s fictional, and what we hope to be an intelligent, adult action film that’s got a lot of muscle and intensity…It’s a piece of fiction we’re very excited about it. We’re coming at you with a big ass action movie.”
We don’t have much more to go on other than that, but the project certainly sounds promising. Neither of these men are strangers to action and both have delivered some impressive efforts in the genre in the past. As such, we’re expecting big things from this one.
Plus, as Wahlberg notes, he still doesn’t have a defining role – though some would argue otherwise. Could Mile 22 be the film to change that? We certainly hope, as we’d love to see this work out for the actor. He’s one of Hollywood’s most charismatic and enjoyable screen presences, and seeing him get to headline this new franchise with Berg steering the ship should prove to be a real treat.