Mark Whalberg is "The Happening"
Friday, March 30, 2007
Mark Wahlberg, riding high on his Oscar nomination, has signed on to star in M. Night Shyamalan's thriller "The Happening."
Production is set to begin in August in Shyamalan's hometown of Philadelphia, ahead of a Friday June 13, 2008, release via 20th Century Fox.
"Happening," the $57 million followup to Shyamalan's 2006 bomb "The Lady in the Water," revolves around a family on the run from an apocalyptic threat to humanity. Wahlberg will play Elliot Moore, the science teacher at the center of the event. Shyamalan also wrote the screenplay.
"Happening" will mark the first time Shyamalan will partner with Fox. His first four films, all successes of varying degrees, were made for the Walt Disney Co. "Lady in the Water" was released by Warner Bros. after Disney turned it down.
Fox, which hasn't released a thriller on this scale since 2004's "The Day After Tomorrow," is bullish on the release date.
"Friday the 13th has very distinctive global connotations, which make it the ideal launching pad for this frightening thriller," Fox domestic distribution president Bruce Snyder said.
Wahlberg, who received an Oscar nomination for his supporting role in "The Departed," is currently in theaters with Paramount Pictures' "Shooter." He recently signed on to Paramount's boxing drama "The Fighter" for director Darren Aronofsky, who is also coming off a Warner Bros. bust, "The Fountain."
Production is set to begin in August in Shyamalan's hometown of Philadelphia, ahead of a Friday June 13, 2008, release via 20th Century Fox.
"Happening," the $57 million followup to Shyamalan's 2006 bomb "The Lady in the Water," revolves around a family on the run from an apocalyptic threat to humanity. Wahlberg will play Elliot Moore, the science teacher at the center of the event. Shyamalan also wrote the screenplay.
"Happening" will mark the first time Shyamalan will partner with Fox. His first four films, all successes of varying degrees, were made for the Walt Disney Co. "Lady in the Water" was released by Warner Bros. after Disney turned it down.
Fox, which hasn't released a thriller on this scale since 2004's "The Day After Tomorrow," is bullish on the release date.
"Friday the 13th has very distinctive global connotations, which make it the ideal launching pad for this frightening thriller," Fox domestic distribution president Bruce Snyder said.
Wahlberg, who received an Oscar nomination for his supporting role in "The Departed," is currently in theaters with Paramount Pictures' "Shooter." He recently signed on to Paramount's boxing drama "The Fighter" for director Darren Aronofsky, who is also coming off a Warner Bros. bust, "The Fountain."
Labels: Mark Whalberg