So let’s clear up a bit of confusion. Yesterday it was reported that Mark Wahlberg was bailing on David O. Russell‘s “The Silver Linings Playbook” due to a scheduling conflict that Deadline speculated might be Allen Hughes‘ “Broken City.” That still may be the case, but another Hughes brother is prepping a different ‘City’ movie.
The guys over at Twitch report today that none other than Captain America himself, Chris Evans, is being offered the lead role for Albert Hughes‘ “Motor City” with a January 2012 start date in the works. Yes, two brothers with two ‘City’ title movies — we were confused too. Penned by Chad St. John, the 2009 Black List script follows a small time crook who is framed up and sent to jail, and then goes after the guys that put him there. The twist? Apparently the lead only has one line of dialogue in the whole thing.
Of course, whether or not Evans takes it remains to be seen and he’s likely seeing a shitload of scripts right now following the success of “Captain America: The First Avenger.” His calendar is pretty open right now and he probably has his pick of projects to choose from, but it would certainly be a nice, darker turn for the actor in between superhero tentpoles. That said, taking a role with only one line might be dealbreaking for some.
So, circling back to Wahlberg, what could be the project that took him off ‘Playbook’? Could be “Broken City” which has financing ready to go, but if we had to guess, it’s probably “Three Mississippi,” the Thanksgiving comedy that will reunite him with “The Other Guys” team of director Adam McKay and Will Ferrell and will shoot this fall for a holiday 2012 release.
