February 7, 2007 - Mark Wahlberg seems to be the source for all news on
The Departed 2. The actor, who played the foul-mouthed, no-nonsense Sgt. Dignam in Martin Scorsese's award-winning film, was
the first to reveal that there were even plans for a follow-up to the pic, which itself is a remake of the Hong Kong hit
Infernal Affairs.
Wahlberg has also revealed that Robert De Niro is being considered for a key role in the sequel (there may even be two sequels). It was originally claimed that De Niro would play Martin Sheen's successor in the Massachusetts State Police. Not so, Wahlberg tells
Empire Magazine.
"They're talking about bringing in De Niro to play a senator or a congressman", said Wahlberg. "You know, the corruption obviously going deeper and higher up the ranks — reaching up the political chain. So it'll be fun. And if it's a success, they're gonna do a prequel and bring everyone back…make it a trilogy."
Wahlberg adds that
Departed screenwriter William Monahan is now working on the screenplay for part two, and that filming could begin at "the beginning of next year or end of this year."
It was
recently reported, however, that all talk about
Departed sequels was premature until the role of producer-turned-Paramount chief Brad Grey could be figured out. The rumor mill also suggests that, should Scorsese pass on doing the sequel(s), then Warner Bros. is eyeing
Michael Mann or Alfonso Cuaron to replace him.
Screenwriter Monahan hails from Boston and infused
The Departed with some local flavor. More than one publication has noted that Jack Nicholson's mobster Frank Costello bore more than a passing resemblance to infamous Boston crime boss/informant/fugitive James "Whitey" Bulger. Whitey's younger brother Billy was once the most powerful politician in Massachusetts; could that be an influence on De Niro's alleged politician character? Time will tell.
