Mark Wahlberg is not afraid of working on sequels. We’re talking sequels in franchises like “Transformers,” “Ted,” and “Daddy’s Home,” just to name a few. But one sequel the actor-producer was hoping to get off the ground that never came to fruition was “The Departed 2.”
Yes, a sequel to Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning film, “The Departed.” Needless to say, the pitch didn’t go well.
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Speaking to KFC Radio (via Esquire), Mark Wahlberg shared a story where he talked about a failed pitch for “The Departed 2,” where he was discussing potentially approaching actors such as Brad Pitt and Robert De Niro about roles. But apparently, the development of the sequel didn’t get that far.
“I went into a meeting with Bill Monahan at Warner Brothers to pitch the sequel to ‘The Departed,’” Wahlberg said. “And let’s just say the pitch didn’t go very well. 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,’ ‘American Desperado,’ [I] said, ‘Bill, just go write. They like to have things well thought out and planned.'”
For those unaware, “The Departed” stars Wahlberg alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Jack Nicholson. The film followed the story of an FBI agent who finds himself involved with an Irish gangster in Boston. The film is pretty beloved among film fans, with a sequel seeming like something a studio would be interested in. But apparently not.
Though he never got “The Departed 2” off the ground, you can see Mark Wahlberg in a new blockbuster film, “Uncharted,” which is in theaters now. Though it rhymes, there are few similarities between the two films, sadly.
You can see the clip from the interview below: