Why Transformers 4 Isn’t Just A Paycheck For Mark Wahlberg

By Rudie Obias | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

Wahlberg

When the new Transformers movie hits theaters during the summer of 2014, it will be like a new film series. It will take place four years after the events of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and will feature new Transformers and new cast members, including newcomer Jack Reynor, Nicola Peltz, and Mark Wahlberg.

The addition of Wahlberg to Transformers 4 was a bit strange considering the film series never had an Oscar-nominated actor as its lead. Mark Wahlberg wanted to work with Michael Bay again after the movie Pain & Gain, and wanted to be in something he could watch with his kids. In an interview, Wahlberg says that Transformers 4 won’t be just another paycheck for him (although the paycheck is nice).

I think it will be the most challenging role that I’ve played and it’s an opportunity for me to do something extremely different. It’s going to be very different from what the first ones were. I’m excited about it. When I talked to (producer) Steven Spielberg and Michael and said, ‘Don’t worry guys, this is not me taking a paycheck and running with it. This is me trying to do something different.’… It’s the first time [my children have] ever been excited about me going off to do a movie, and they demand to be in it.

Wahlberg will play the father of Nicola Peltz’s character. The new Transformers 4 will be the first movie in a completely new trilogy, but it’s unclear if Wahlberg will appear in all three movies, or just the first.

Many have tried and failed, but maybe Michael Bay can make Mark Wahlberg an action star. So far, Wahlberg’s action-movie history includes forgettable flicks such as Shooter, Max Payne, and Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes. But if anybody can make the actor a bankable action star, it’s probably Michael Bay.

Transformers 4 will open in theaters everywhere on June 29, 2014, in IMAX 3D.