Mark Wahlberg reunites with ‘Contraband’ director for new Netflix thriller — what we know so far
Ahead of the impending release of his new survival thriller movie 'Apex', which arrives in theatres on April 24, director Baltasar Kormákur shows no signs of slowing down. According to Deadline, the prolific director is set to direct his next thriller, titled 'The Big Fix'. The film is set to reunite Kormákur and Mark Wahlberg, who will be joined by Academy Award-winning Riz Ahmed, as they are in talks to play the lead in what is being described as a film inspired by a true story.
The screenplay of 'The Big Fix' is being written by Justin Haythe and Guy Bolton. Between the two of them, the scribes have previous work credits that include 'Revolutionary Road' and 'Hijack' on Apple TV. Kormákur serves as one of the producers himself, along with David Ready and Peter Chernin, representing Chernin Entertainment. The executive producers are Jenno Topping and Bennett Walsh. Furthermore, Netflix is also on board, presumably as the co-producer and streaming partner. Wahlberg will be seen as an Interpol cop assigned to work at FIFA in a bureaucratic role who soon discovers a shocking match-fixing scandal involving the entire organization. This leads him to launch an intensive international investigation to apprehend the culprit.
Upon further investigation, Wahlberg's character identifies the man behind the operation as someone who collaborates with Chinese triads and has been earning a fortune by rigging and fixing football games worldwide. This is the primary antagonist, and Ahmed would be playing this character if speculations are to be believed. As the plot progresses, the two leading characters are locked in a struggle of attrition that soon disintegrates into a game of international cat-and-mouse.
ScreenRant recently revealed that 'The Big Fix' has been in the pipeline for quite a while now. The project has been a prime focus for both Kormákur and Netflix executive Kira Goldberg. The latter was previously associated with the 20th Century Fox and has been developing the upcoming thriller since then, in association with Chernin Entertainment. Ever since Kormákur helmed 'Apex', he has been a sought-after filmmaker in Hollywood. This was evidenced by Netflix teasing discussions about Kormákur's next feature even before the premiere of 'Apex'.
Wahlberg and Kormákur are not strangers to each other, especially since the former starred in the director's first major studio film, i.e., 'Contraband'. The two renewed their collaboration in the underrated buddy-cop film 'Two Guns'. 'The Big Fix' would mark the first collaboration between the two in over a decade. Wahlberg is an established action actor and is working on several upcoming Netflix originals, including 'Spenser Confidential' and 'The Union'. On the other hand, Riz Ahmed is one of the foremost actors of the current generation and is still riding high after the successful box-office performance of his recently released thriller 'Relay'.
