Mark Wahlberg Once Pitched The Departed 2 Starring Brad Pitt and Robert De Niro

The Departed star Mark Wahlberg and writer William Monahan once unsuccessfully pitched a sequel to the 2006 film and wanted Brad Pitt and Robert De Niro to star. Mark Wahlberg, who is currently busy promoting his blockbuster video game adaptation Uncharted, appeared on the KFC Radio podcast recently and shared his thoughts on Tom Holland, Uncharted, and his musical career, among other things. When asked about a fake rumor that Martin Scorsese had agreed to make The Departed 2, Wahlberg narrated his and Monahan’s failed pitch meeting with Warner Bros.

“I went into a meeting with Bill Monahan at Warner Brothers to pitch the sequel to The Departed. He wanted me to go with him, and this was after it had won Best Picture, and big success and all that. And let’s just say the pitch didn’t go very well. He [Monahan] really didn’t have anything fleshed out, but he’s the kind of guy you just trust to go and write something. And so when we were working on the script for Cocaine Cowboys, American Desperado, [I] said, ‘Bill, just go write’. He wrote The Gambler for me, you know, he’s fantastic. He assumed that the studio would have the same kind of response that everybody else did; that they’d just let him go figure it out. But they [the studio] like to have things well-thought-out and planned. So, that pitch didn’t go well”

Subsequent attempts at making The Departed 2 also failed, with the studio deeming it too expensive and Martin Scorsese reluctant to return. Wahlberg also added that Robert De Niro and Brad Pitt were in the duo’s mind to play leads in the sequel. Pitt served as a producer on The Departed and was initially set to play Colin Sullivan, but he passed on the role in favor of a younger actor. Matt Damon eventually landed the gig. The final moments of The Departed delivered some of the most shocking deaths ever, and much of the cast, including the main stars, perished.

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Mark Wahlberg, who played Sean Dignam in the film alongside Leonardo DiCaprio’s Billy Costigan Jr., was one of the few characters who survived. Emerging as an unlikely hero, Dignam has become a fan-favorite character ever since, and the role even earned Wahlberg an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. 15 years have passed since The Departed’s release, and at this point, it’s unlikely we’ll ever get a sequel. But fans should definitely check out the original Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, and its sequels. You can check out Wahlberg’s full interview below.

Mark Wahlberg Will Next Appear In Biographical Drama Father Stu

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Mark Wahlberg’s next film Father Stu is based on the true-life story of boxer-turned priest Father Stuart Long, who inspired countless people during his journey from self-destruction to redemption. Stuart Long was a headstrong boxer whose career was cut short after a devastating loss that left him requiring jaw reconstruction surgery. He worked as an actor and a bouncer in Los Angeles the following years. After a horrific motorcycle accident occurred, Long saw a vision of God and decided to follow the path of religion. He also suffered from a terminal autoimmune disease – inclusion body myositis – and succumbed to the illness in 2014, but inspired thousands of people in his wake.

Father Stu is a passion project for Wahlberg, and he is fully committed to telling the inspiring story of Father Stuart Long. Wahlberg even underwent an insane body transformation for the role, gaining 30 pounds in six weeks. Father Stu also stars Mel Gibson, Jacki Weaver, and Teresa Ruiz. Written and directed by Rosalind Ross, Father Stu will be released in theaters on April 15, 2022.

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Mudit Chhikara
(191 Articles Published)

Mudit Chhikara is a news writer at MovieWeb. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electronics, but being a lifelong cinephile, Mudit decided to write about movies for a living.

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