The other day, we brought you updates from Mark Wahlberg on a sequel to The Fighter, the Entourage movie, and Michael Bayâs Pain and Gain. As noted at the time, Wahlberg is a very busy guy. As such, during his interview with Steve regarding his upcoming crime thriller Contraband, the actor/producer talked extensively about a number of projects. Today weâre bringing you what he had to say about starring in Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlaneâs feature directorial debut Ted, and his basketball movie starring Justin Bieber (including a fantastically awesome title for the latter). Hit the jump to see what Wahlberg had to say about the two projects.Ted marks the feature directorial debut of Seth MacFarlane. The film, also written by MacFarlane, tells the story of a grown man (Wahlberg) whose wish that his childhood teddy bear (played by MacFarlane using motion-capture) would come to life comes true. However, the bear turns out to be a swearing, pot-smoking mess and wreaks havoc on the manâs life. As expected, the script is riddled with salacious material, and when asked if there was anything Wahlberg had to debate over whether or not to actually say out loud, the actor replied âquite a few things,â adding:
âI want a disclaimer at the beginning of the movie saying that all these things are written by Seth MacFarlane not me (laughs), and I didnât improvise any of it and heâs gotta take full responsibility for all the people heâs offended. But itâs off the charts.â
This was MacFarlaneâs first time in the directorâs chair, but Wahlberg has high praise for the first-timer:
âWorking with him was a dream. Heâs such a sweet guy, such a generous guy, I just had a blast. It was one of those occasions like an Adam McKay or a Tim Burton where you just canât wait to get to get to the set and be around the guy and watch him do his thing, it was one of those special occasions.â
It sure sounds like weâre in for a treat with Ted (both in explicit content and professionalism), and I canât wait to see what a Seth MacFarlane feature film looks like.
Additionally, Wahlberg talked a bit about a curious project that heâs attached to. Heâs set to star in an untitled drama set in the world of street basketball alongside pop sensation Justin Bieber. When asked if the idea of a Bieber/Wahlberg team-up was a tough one to pitch to studios, Wahlberg responded that it was actually a piece of cake:
âI remember going into Paramount and talking about it and within five minutes they were like âWeâll do it.â Itâs more like The Color of Money, thatâs kind of the best thing I can compare it to. Iâve gotta reluctantly mentor this kid but Iâm really hustling him too. I donât know if youâve ever seen him play basketball, but heâs incredible.â
The Color of Money angle is certainly intriguing, and How to Make it In America creator Ian Edelman is currently hard at work on the script. When asked whether or not the film has a title, Wahlberg offered up what I genuinely think could be the greatest title in cinematic history:
âNot yet. Weâre calling it Wahlbieber right now.â