Pain and Gain

Dwayne Johnson Talks G.I. JOE: RETALIATION, Michael Bay’s PAIN AND GAIN, FAST SIX (Which is Filming in London) and HERCULES

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 24th, 2012 at 12:07 am

With director Jon M. Chu‘s G.I. Joe: Retaliation opening June 29, Paramount has been amping up the promotional campaign this past week by debuting a ton of character posters and a great looking trailer.  As a fan of the first film, I’ll admit the sequel looks even better and it’s rocking a great cast that includes Dwayne Johnson, Adrianne Palicki, Channing Tatum, Walton Goggins, Ray Park, Byung-hun Lee, Elodie Yung, RZA, Ray Stevenson, and D.J. Cotrona.

Earlier today at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, I got to sit down with Dwayne Johnson for an extended interview.  We talked about how he was approached to play Roadblock, the tone of the film, how he collaborated with director Jon M. Chu before production began, his thoughts on the brand new trailer and the sizzle reel I saw last night (here’s my recap), and more.  In addition, with Johnson currently filming Michael Bay‘s Pain and Gain, we talked about the crazy story it’s based on, the style Bay is going for, and he also said that after he wraps, he’ll start shooting Fast Six in London and Berlin and then he heads to New Zealand for director Brett Ratner’s Hercules.  Hit the jump to either watch or read what he had to say.

Ken Jeong to Join Michael Bay’s PAIN AND GAIN

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: April 5th, 2012 at 6:43 pm

After starring in Michael Bay’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Ken Jeong will be reuniting with the director for his upcoming true crime drama, Pain and Gain.  You might be most familiar with Jeong from his role as Mr. Chow in The Hangover or as Señor Chang in NBC’s Community.  In Bay’s last film, he played a character named Jerry Wang. THR reports that Jeong will be keeping with the naming theme as he will be playing Johnny Wu; few other details are available for his character at the moment.  Pain and Gain, a long-gestating passion project for Bay, tells the story of the Sun Gym gang, a group of Miami bodybuilders whose extortion scheme went terribly awry.  Since the film just began shooting recently in Miami, we posted some new images of stars Dwayne Johnson and Mark Wahlberg. A dark comedy, Pain and Gain also stars Ed Harris, Anthony Mackie, Tony Shaloub, Rebel Wilson, and Bar Paly.  Look for it to hit screens sometime next year.

First Images of Dwayne Johnson on the Set of Michael Bay’s PAIN AND GAIN

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 5th, 2012 at 11:48 am

Production is currently underway on Michael Bay’s (relatively) small dark comedy Pain and Gain, and just the other day we got our first look at Rob Corddry and Mark Wahlberg on the set.  Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson star in the Fargo-esque true story of two bodybuilders who got caught up in an extorition ring and kidnapping scheme that went terribly wrong.  We got a glimpse of Wahlberg doing some harness-enhanced wall sit-ups in the first batch of set photos, but today we get a great look at Wahlberg and Johnson together.  We already know that the two have proven comedic chops, so I’m eager to see how they play off of each other.  If the goofy costumes are any indication, we may be in for a really fun ride.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The film also stars Ed Harris, Anthony Mackie, Tony Shaloub, Rebel Wilson, and Bar Paly.

First Images of Christoph Waltz in Quentin Tarantino’s DJANGO UNCHAINED and Mark Wahlberg in Michael Bay’s PAIN AND GAIN

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 2nd, 2012 at 1:48 pm

Quentin Tarantino is currently busy shooting his slavery-era spaghetti western Django Unchained, and now the first images from the set have landed online.  We get our first look at Christoph Waltz in character as a German bounty hunter who teams up with an escaped slave (Jamie Foxx) who’s bent on rescuing his wife from an evil plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio).  It’s not much, but the sight of Waltz decked out in his period gear has me giddy at the thought of a Tarantino-fied full blown Western.  We also get an image of the director on set with cinematographer Robert Richardson.

We’ve also got the first set photos of Mark Wahlberg and Rob Corddry in Michael Bay’s crime comedy Pain and Gain, including some images of Wahlberg doing some harness-enhanced crunches.  Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson play bodybuilders who get caught up in an extortion ring and a kidnapping scheme that go terribly wrong. Hit the jump to check out the images.

Evan Peters and Juno Temple Join TRUCK STOP; Michael Bay’s PAIN AND GAIN Adds Rebel Wilson

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: March 28th, 2012 at 3:59 pm

Here are some recent casting additions at a glance:

• Evan Peters (American Horror Story) and Juno Temple (Atonement) are set to join Truck Stop, the 1970s era coming-of-age drama that will be the directorial debut of Tony Aloupis (Sugar).
• Rebel Wilson (Bridesmaids) will join Pain and Gain, the Michael Bay-directorial passion project based on the true-crime drama surrounding a group of bodybuilders whose extortion and kidnapping scheme takes a disastrous turn.

Hit the jump for more details on both projects.

Tony Plana Joins Michael Bay’s PAIN AND GAIN, Kelsey Chow Leads Indie Thriller RUN and C. Thomas Howell Joins the Indie Crime Drama MAGIC HOUR

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: March 12th, 2012 at 6:51 pm

Here is today’s casting call round-up. Check out the new additions at a glance below:

• Tony Plana (Ugly Betty) is the latest to join director Michael Bay’s low-budget passion project, Pain and Gain.
• Disney XD’s Pair of Kings star, Kelsey Chow, has landed the female lead in the indie thriller, Run.
• C. Thomas Howell (The Outsiders) has joined the indie crime drama, Magic Hour.

Hit the jump for more details on each project.

Scott Rosenberg to Polish Up PAIN AND GAIN Script for Michael Bay

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: March 5th, 2012 at 7:48 pm

Word on director Michael Bay’s relatively low-budget passion project Pain and Gain is that Scott Rosenberg (Con-Air) has been brought on to punch-up the screenplay originally written by Stephen Markus and Christopher McFeely (both of Captain America: The First Avenger). Based on a true story, Pain and Gain follows the saga of a group of bodybuilders in Miami that engaged in an extortion scheme which wound up spiraling out of control to include kidnapping and torture. The writers compared the tone of their darkly-humored film as based on that of the Coen brothers’ film, Fargo. Dwayne Johnson and Mark Wahlberg are attached to star in the pic alongside Ed Harris, Rob Corddry, Anthony Mackie, Tony Shaloub and Bar Paly. The film will shoot on location in Miami later this month. Hit the jump for more on Rosenberg and Pain and Gain.

Supermodel Bar Paly and Tony Shaloub Cast in Michael Bay’s PAIN AND GAIN

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: February 28th, 2012 at 7:28 pm

It must be tough being Michael Bay. He gets to play with life-sized Transformers, blow stuff up all day and hang out with Victoria’s Secret supermodels. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Bay has cast Israeli supermodel Bar Paly (The Ruins) in his upcoming project, Pain and Gain. The director’s passion project will also feature non-supermodel, Tony Shaloub (Monk). The film’s premise is taken from the true life tale of bodybuilders, played by Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson, who got caught up in an extortion scheme that goes south, turning to kidnapping and murder. The film also stars Anthony Mackie, Rob Corddry and Ed Harris. Hit the jump for more on Paly and Shaloub’s characters.

Anthony Mackie Joining Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson in Michael Bay’s PAIN AND GAIN

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 23rd, 2012 at 8:16 am

Anthony Mackie is in talks to join Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson in Michael Bay‘s crime flick Pain and Gain.  The true story is based on a 1999 Miami New Times article about two bodybuilders who got caught up in an extortion ring and a kidnapping scheme that went terribly wrong.  Per Variety, “Mackie is in negotiations to play Adrian Doorbal, a big-hearted bodybuilder who works out with, Daniel Lugo (Wahlberg). Doorbal has little to show for his hard work, leading him to get involved with Lugo’s scheme.”  The movie also stars Rob Corddry, Ed Harris, and possibly John Turturro.  Filming is set to begin this spring.

Mackie is always a strong presence even though he’s usually cast in supporting roles.  He’ll be seen later this year in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and The Gangster Squad.  He recently wrapped shooting on Forest Whitaker’s voodoo thriller, Vipka.

John Turturro Circles PAIN AND GAIN, Adrianne Palicki Goes to COFFEE TOWN and Nonso Anozie Joins ENDER’S GAME

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: February 17th, 2012 at 6:24 pm

In between rebooting his own series with Transformers 4 and producing a live-action reboot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Michael Bay has finally managed to find some time for his passion project, Pain and Gain. John Turturro, a familiar face to the Transformers franchise, is reportedly circling a role. The dark comedy is based on the true story of two Miami bodybuilders who get caught up in an extortion scam and a kidnapping gone awry.

Other casting news reports that Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights) will join Glenn Howerton (Always Sunny in Philadelphia) for the R-rated CollegeHumor picture, Coffee Town. Production is set to begin next week in Los Angeles. Finally, the most recent addition to the superb Ender’s Game cast is The Grey’s Nonso Anozie. Hit the jump for details on each project.

Dwight Yoakam Leaves THE LONE RANGER; Rob Corddry Joins Michael Bay’s PAIN AND GAIN

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 17th, 2012 at 11:15 am

Actor/musician Dwight Yoakam has been a fun and sometimes scene-stealing presence in films (he was one of the best parts of Panic Room), but unfortunately, Deadline is reporting that he has dropped out of Gore Verbinski‘s big-budget adaptation of The Lone Ranger.  The western, based on the classic radio- and TV-serial, stars Johnny Depp as the Native American Tonto and Armie Hammer as the eponymous masked hero.  Yoakam was set to play one of the film’s villains, but has now left due to a scheduling conflict.  We should hear some casting news on his replacement in the very near future since filming is set to begin this month.

The film also stars Helena Bonham Carter, Ruth Wilson, James Frain, and Tom Wilkinson.  The Lone Ranger opens May 31, 2013.  Hit the jump for casting news on Michael Bay‘s Pain and Gain.

Casting Call: Christopher Meloni in Talks for Jackie Robinson Drama 42; Ed Harris May Reunite with Michael Bay for PAIN AND GAIN

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 1st, 2012 at 4:30 pm

We’ve got a couple of casting stories to share with you today. First up, leaving Law & Order has turned Christopher Meloni into a very busy man. He stars in the upcoming season of True Blood, he landed a role in the new Superman pic Man of Steel, and now he’s set to star in the Jackie Robinson baseball drama 42. Variety reports that Meloni is in talks to play Leo Durocher, the manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, in the film that chronicles how Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey and Robinson worked together to eradicate segregation in baseball in 1947. Harrison Ford is onboard as Rickey, and newcomer Chadwick Boseman will play Robinson in the film written and to be directed by Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential).

Hit the jump for casting news concerning Michael Bay’s Pain and Gain.

Mark Wahlberg Talks CONTRABAND, New England Patriots, THE FIGHTER Sequel, THREE MISSISSIPPI, ENTOURAGE Movie, TED, More

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: January 12th, 2012 at 4:19 pm

Opening tomorrow is director Baltasar Kormákur’s crime thriller Contraband. Set in the world of international smuggling, the film stars Mark Wahlberg as a man trying to escape his days as a criminal. When his brother-in-law (Caleb Landry Jones) botches a deal, Wahlberg’s character must settle his brother-in-law’s debt in order to keep him safe from a drug boss (Giovanni Ribisi).  The film also stars Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster, J.K. Simmons, and Diego Luna.

Last week I was able to get on the phone with Wahlberg for an exclusive interview.  During our wide ranging conversation, we talked about the New England Patriots playoff chances (we’re both from New England), how he got involved in Contraband, the action scenes, how he prepares for his roles, and what it was like to film on a real ship.  In addition, with Wahlberg involved in so many other projects, he talked about The Fighter sequel, the Entourage movie, working with Adam McKay and Will Ferrell again in Three Mississippi, The Departed sequel, Michael Bay‘s Pain and Gain, Seth MacFarlane‘s Ted, the untitled Basketball movie with Justin Bieber, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to read or listen to the interview.

Exclusive: Mark Wahlberg Talks THE FIGHTER Sequel and ENTOURAGE Movie; Says He’s Still Considering Michael Bay’s PAIN AND GAIN

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 5th, 2012 at 5:29 pm

Mark Wahlberg is a very busy guy.  In addition to acting, Wahlberg has become increasingly involved in producing not only feature films, but a handful of original series as well.  With Wahlberg’s new crime thriller Contraband opening next week, earlier today Steve got the chance to speak with the hard-working actor.  While we’ll have the full interview up next week, we wanted to share what Wahlberg had to say regarding The Fighter sequel, the Entourage movie, and Michael Bay’s small-budget dark comedy Pain and Gain.

While it was previously reported that Wahlberg had passed on Pain and Gain, the actor revealed that he’s still very much considering the project and he’s currently waiting on a new draft of the script.  Hit the jump to see what Wahlberg had to say concerning all the projects.

Michael Bay Returning to Direct TRANSFORMERS 4; Could Start Filming in Winter 2012 [UPDATED]

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 6th, 2011 at 6:10 pm

Well that didn’t take long at all. Surrounding the release of Tranformers: Dark of the Moon was Michael Bay’s assurance that after helming all three flicks in the trilogy, he was done with the franchise. Cut to Dark of the Moon making a kajillion dollars for Paramount, and rumors began swirling that Bay might come back. The director denied any involvement and maintained that he was focused on making his “smaller” movie Pain and Gain. Just yesterday we reported that Bay is in talks with Dwayne Johnson to star in the $20 million dark comedy, and Bay seemed on track to move away from the robot series. Cut to today and now comes word that Bay will indeed be returning for the fourth Transformers film. Hit the jump for more.

[Update: Bay has commented on this report.  Hit the jump for what he had to say.]

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