Mark Wahlberg reveals he tried to pitch 'The Departed' sequel
Feb 25, 2022
Washington [US], February 25 : Hollywood star Mark Wahlberg recently revealed that he had tried and failed to pitch to Warner Bros. a sequel to Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winner 'The Departed'
According to Variety, Wahlberg had earned an Oscar nomination for supporting actor thanks to his role in 'The Departed', which grossed USD 291 million worldwide and won four Academy Awards. The cast included Wahlberg opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson and Matt Damon.
"I went into a meeting with [screenwriter] Bill Monahan at Warner Bros. to pitch the sequel to 'The Departed'. And let's just say the pitch didn't go very well," Wahlberg said.
The actor added, "He 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' and 'American Desperado' [I] said, 'Bill, just go write. They like to have things well thought out and planned.' It'd be a pretty good one."
Wahlberg did not go into detail about what the failed pitch for 'The Departed' sequel was, but he did say Monahan was interested in bringing in A-list actors like Brad Pitt and Robert De Niro to join the cast. The sequel would centre on Wahlberg's character. Back in 2011, Monahan teased a potential sequel.
"My idea actually is to set the film before, during and after the action of the first film, which I think would be extraordinary," Monahan said at the time.
He continued, "Essentially, in the middle section of the thing I've intended, you'd see actions that take place during the original 'Departed' but aren't on-screen in the original 'Departed.' There would be off-screen things that occur at that point in the story. But it would work seamlessly as a movie of its own."
Monahan admitted that his lack of bringing a synopsis for the sequel to Warner Bros. is what blocked the project from moving forward. "I don't do synopses and I don't pitch. Personally, I don't know if it's ever going to happen," the screenwriter said, as per Variety.
Wahlberg and Monahan's 'Departed' sequel never got off the ground, nor did their 'Cocaine Cowboys' and 'American Desperado' projects. The two did collaborate on the 2014 drama 'The Gambler', which was directed by Rupert Wyatt.
