If Anthony Mackie isn’t a household name yet, that’s likely soon to change. The actor has been putting in solid work for years, first popping onto the radar with fine turns in “Million Dollar Baby” and “Half Nelson,” before having a helluva year in 2008 with the double whammy of “Notorious” where he memorably played Tupac Shakur and of course, “The Hurt Locker.” That latter film, naturally, opened some big doors. He was already seen earlier this year in the surprisingly solid “The Adjustment Bureau” and he’s got two more films on deck: he’ll flex his comic muscles in the Anna Faris vehicle “What’s Your Number” and then he’ll star opposite Hugh Jackman in the robot boxing flick “Real Steel.” This isn’t even mentioning the films slated for next year already: “Ten Year” and the thriller “Man On A Ledge” (recently announced for a January 13, 2012 bow). And if that doesn’t prove just how in-demand this rising actor is, this next bit should convince you.
Variety reports that Mackie has received an offer for “Gangster Squad” which has a potential cast of Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn and Josh Brolin while he’s also being eyed for “World War Z” with Brad Pitt. Those aren’t bad options at all.
As it usually goes with stories in their early stages, there are no details on what roles he might be playing. For “Gangster Squad,” we’re curious to see what his role will be given the ’40s setting of the picture. We’d imagine it’s not for one of the cop or crook roles given the era, so we’d guess it’s some kind of supporting part. And as for “World War Z,” it’s pretty much wide open at this point.
Which he takes we imagine will be an issue of scheduling. “World War Z” is aiming for a summer shoot, and we’d guess “Gangster Squad” is aiming for similar schedule particularly since Gosling is tentatively slated for start on “Logan’s Run” sometime this fall. But more Mackie, in movies with big potential? Hell, yes.