ROTTEN TOMATOES: Mark Wahlberg to Star in Shyamalan's "Happening"

Mark Wahlberg to Star in Shyamalan's "Happening"

by Jeff Giles | March 30, 2007

Retired rapper and underwear model Mark Wahlberg's cinematic hot streak looks set to continue at least into next year: According to Variety, the "Shooter" and "The Departed" actor is set to star in director M. Night Shyamalan's next film, "The Happening."

"The Happening," set to film in Philadelphia, revolves around a natural disaster which threatens to wipe out the human race; Wahlberg plays a science teacher who takes his family on an emergency field trip in an effort to save the world.

Shyamalan, who would seem to have a lot riding on "The Happening" after the disastrous performance of his last film, 2006's "Lady in the Water," tells Variety:

"Mark has a unique blend of charisma, humanity, authenticity and skillfulness as an actor...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."

The movie is set to debut Friday, June 13, 2008 (spooky!) and reunites Shyamalan with his "Sixth Sense" and "Unbreakable" producer, Barry Mendel. Wahlberg will next be seen in "The Brazilian Job," with Charlize Theron, and "The Fighter," with Matt Damon.

Source: Variety

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(1-20 of 23 posts) | Reply

TomasSPAGHetti writes:
on Mar 30 2007 11:40 AM

I thought once you receive a nomination, you have the right to be picky about roles... not stack em up!

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arpeggio191 writes:
on Mar 30 2007 11:43 AM

man i hope this movie is good. i really liked Unbreakable and Signs but thought The Villiage and Lady in the Water pretty much sucked. But they could have been so cool!!

And for the Brazilian Job... does anyone else think that title is hilarious or am i the only one? "Watch, as Marky Mark performs, not one, but two brazilian waxes at THE SAME TIME!!!" OR! it's the title of a sweet, high budget porn! And actually, there were a few alternate titles to the film such as "The Landing Strip Job" and "The All-natural Job" and "The Lightning Bolt Job." My personal favorite is the Landing Strip Job, but hey, we can't have everything.

And also, i heard the title to this movie was The Green Effect, which is a way cooler title than the happening... which is lame.

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Merlin235 writes:
on Mar 30 2007 12:05 PM

Interesting choice.

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Dunk writes:
on Mar 30 2007 12:35 PM

In reply to this comment (#859775)
While I've heard nothing about the Brazilian Job, since it co-stars Charlize Theron, I assume it is a sequal to the Italian Job (hence the name).

(Reply to this)

Bob* writes:
on Mar 30 2007 01:31 PM

until june 2008? oh well I can wait ^^

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arpeggio191 writes:
on Mar 30 2007 01:57 PM

In reply to this comment (#859777)
yes, thank you for that bit of extremely obvious and well known information.

(Reply to this)

selke99 writes:
on Mar 30 2007 02:10 PM

Geez, how many chances can they give Night Shyamalan?

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bigbrother writes:
on Mar 30 2007 02:21 PM

Great now we get to see Marky Mark play a completely bland and unemotional character. That should be good right? Why does he keep getting these actors known for their wild emotional portrayals: Bruce Willis, Mel Gibson, Paul Giamotti, Mark Wahlberg. When you know he's just going to ask them to walk thru the film like freakin zombies and delivering their lines like they're reading from a teleprompter.

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wilkiedriver writes:
on Mar 30 2007 09:11 PM

In reply to this comment (#859780)
As long as he brings in the crowds that like his movies....which are mostly people that don't like movies much at all.

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Haoly Vauba writes:
on Mar 30 2007 10:29 PM

[b]hmm. interesting choice[/b]
Shyamalan seem to work better with megastars like Mel Gibson or Bruce Willis.

I like Mark Wahlberg, he was awesome in The Departed. With the right direction he can deliver. So hopefully this is a step in the right direction.

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GreenBastard writes:
on Mar 31 2007 12:05 AM

I'm in, it sounds cool. Shyamalan's aloud to make one bad movie (Lady in the Water).

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Young Turk writes:
on Mar 31 2007 04:28 AM

hes aloud to make as many bad movies as he wants if the bottom line is 114 million in box office for a movie about paranoid amish

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chosenone86 writes:
on Mar 31 2007 06:20 AM

Shyamalan is an extremely gifted writer and director. I have enjoyed all of his movies. But as usual when someone becomes very succesful in this industry, some people become envious and begin to root for your failure. It is interesting that while those people are busy being envious, he is making movies.

Regardless, this project sounds very interesting and as one of his biggest fans, I'll be there in line next summer to see it.

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bigbrother writes:
on Mar 31 2007 12:22 PM

In reply to this comment (#859786)
I disagree, I believe that for a good long while now a large portion of us have been waiting for him to produce something as brilliant as the Sixth Sense again, but instead have been subjected to a string of less and less impressive films culminating in the in my opinion horrendous Lady in the Water. I sincerely hope he recaptures some of the magic, but don't accuse me of being envious for calling a piece of crap a piece of crap. Are we all envious of Uwe Boll's brilliance as well. Now I acknowledge M Night is no where near Boll's level yet, but if his movies continue on the track they've been taking it won't be long.

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Matanuki writes:
on Mar 31 2007 07:31 PM

In reply to this comment (#859787)
I don't judge success by dollars, bigbro. And being a player in the Hollywood game, Boll's definitely got some jelly to spread on his bread. But of course, he's far from gifted. No, I don't think the bulk of naysayers are jealous of Shyamalan (though I'm sure the label might fit some). What I think is that what they've been waiting for is The Happening, at last an R rated film by Shyamalan. Maybe it'll get you guys back on board. Me, I never stopped being a fan. Loved Lady in the Water. Ditto for Unbreakable.

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Pleasuretown writes:
on Apr 01 2007 06:50 AM

So now once you make a movie that bombs with critics and at the box office, worldwide, you get to make another movie? With Marky Mark? That sounds like an investment i'm willing to agree too.

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lrm8 writes:
on Apr 01 2007 10:19 AM

mark wahlberg, science teacher?

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khansdad writes:
on Apr 03 2007 03:24 AM

[b]You liked signs?[/b]
A highly advanced alien race travels across the galaxies to invade a planet that's 80% water (their achiles heal), and they walk around without any protection...like a suit maybe? (what if it rains? Like it does often)

er...how is that not just lame.

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bigbrother writes:
on Apr 03 2007 10:39 AM

In reply to this comment (#859788)
Oh I'm not talking financial success, I couldn't tell you how much each movie made, I actually assumed they probably profited from having his name attached. For me though each successive project he's done has been worse than the one that preceded it. I've always had issues with his movies the most obvious one I mentioned in my previous post, but probably right up until Signs the redeeming factors of his work seemed to outway the faults, but since then the balance has shifted in my opinion. I was actually surprised I hated Lady in the Water as much as I did since on premise it seemed like a movie geared for people like me i.e. fans of fairytale like stories like C.S. Lewis or J.M. Barrie, but to me it just came off as a jumbled mess. It was dark, but not in a good way. He missed the key ingredient to any good fairy tale. You're supposed to leave either A. Feeling good about the happily ever after ending or B. Feel you've learned something from it. I felt neither. I just felt like I'd wasted 2 and a half hours of my life...and I watched it on a plane!!! When you can find better things to do on a plane (Mile-high club excluded) you know your movie choice was poor.

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Baccus83 writes:
on Apr 04 2007 10:58 AM

[b]For the love of all that's good.[/b]
Mr. Shymalan needs to direct other people's scripts, not his own. Why won't he listen?

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