Wahlberg Teams Up with Kormákur for Netflix Football Scandal Thriller
The action star reunites with his frequent director for a high-stakes crime drama based on real match-fixing operations that rocked the soccer world.
Mark Wahlberg has locked in his next starring vehicle, a Netflix crime thriller called 'The Big Fix' that puts him back in business with director Baltasar Kormákur. The project, set to begin filming later this year, pairs Wahlberg with Riz Ahmed in a story ripped from actual headlines about soccer corruption scandals.
Real-World Corruption Meets Hollywood Action
The film draws inspiration from genuine match-fixing operations where criminal organizations rigged soccer games worldwide for massive financial gain. Wahlberg will portray a former Interpol agent now working in a desk job at FIFA who stumbles onto the conspiracy and decides to take action.
Writers Guy Bolton and Justin Haythe crafted the screenplay, which promises what the studio calls a "high-octane" experience. The story follows Wahlberg's character as he hunts down a cunning operator who partners with Chinese Triads to manipulate game outcomes across multiple continents.
Proven Partnership Returns
This marks the third collaboration between Wahlberg and Kormákur, following their successful run with 'Contraband' in 2012 and '2 Guns' the following year. Their previous films proved profitable ventures, with 'Contraband' earning $96.3 mn globally against a $25 mn budget, while '2 Guns' brought in over $130 mn worldwide on a $61 mn investment.
The duo nearly worked together again on 'Arthur the King,' but scheduling conflicts forced Kormákur to step away from that project. Now their calendars have aligned for this Netflix production.
Netflix Doubles Down on Kormákur
The streaming giant and Chernin Entertainment moved quickly to secure another Kormákur project after their recent collaboration on 'Apex,' starring Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton. That survival thriller wrapped production and debuts on the platform April 24.
Peter Chernin and David Ready are producing alongside Kormákur, with Bennett Walsh and Jenno Topping serving as executive producers. The project represents Netflix's continued investment in big-budget action content featuring established stars.