At the end of October it was rumoured that Mark Wahlberg would be joining the funky bunch known as The Autobots and The Decpticons in Michael Bay’s fourth outing in the TRANSFORMERS universe. The two have just completed filming on PAIN AND GAIN, but Bay originally denied rumours of Wahlberg appearing in TRANSFORMERS 4, saying that the two were discussing an entirely different project. Now Bay claims that after the rumours, he went on to dream up a part for Wahlberg. There is now an official conformation via Bay’s own personal blog, that Wahlberg will indeed be starring in TRANSFORMERS 4.
I do love a bit of Mark Wahlberg, and much prefer the idea of an adult lead in a TRANSFORMERS film, even if it is for kids. Despite this, can a change of cast really rescue the franchise from the levels of idiocy and dire film making present in the last two outings? Let’s hope so. Mark Wahlberg, roll out!
Here’s the press release followed by the latest logo:
HOLLYWOOD, CA (November 8, 2012) – After an exceptionally successful collaboration on the upcoming PAIN AND GAIN, Michael Bay has cast Academy Award®-nominee Mark Wahlberg in the highly anticipated TRANSFORMERS 4. The film will hit theaters June 27th, 2014.
“Mark is awesome. We had a blast working on PAIN AND GAIN and I’m so fired up to be back working with him. An actor of his caliber is the perfect guy to re-invigorate the franchise and carry on the Transformers’ legacy,” said Bay.
Bay will direct the next installment in the TRANSFORMERS series, which begins shooting next spring. From Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom, Inc., in association with Hasbro, the film will be produced by Don Murphy & Tom DeSanto, Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Ian Bryce, and executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Bay, Brian Goldner and Mark Vahradian.
Bay’s first TRANSFORMERS film was a box office sensation in 2007, opening at #1 and earning more than $700 million worldwide. His second installment TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN in 2009 grossed more than $830 million worldwide. In 2011, TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON was an even bigger hit worldwide, grossing more than a billion dollars to become the 5th highest grossing film of all time. To date, the franchise has earned more than $2.6 billion worldwide.
From acclaimed director Michael Bay comes PAIN AND GAIN a new action comedy starring Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson and Anthony Mackie. Based on the unbelievable true story of three personal trainers in 1990s Miami who, in pursuit of the American Dream, get caught up in a criminal enterprise that goes horribly wrong. Ed Harris, Tony Shalhoub, Rob Corddry, Rebel Wilson, and Bar Paly also star. The film is based on magazine articles by Pete Collins, with a screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely and produced by Donald DeLine, Michael Bay and Ian Bryce.
PAIN AND GAIN opens in theaters everywhere April 26th, 2013.
Source: MichaelBay.com
