Mark Wahlberg to Star in Crime Thriller "By Any Means"

After seeing his first narrative feature "The Inspection" garner rave reviews in 2022, director Elegance Bratton is getting back behind the camera for "By Any Means", a true-life crime thriller starring Oscar nominees Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter) and Sterling K. Brown (American Fiction) for Hammerstone Studios, Thunder Road, Freedom Principle, and North.Five.Six.

Based on the Black List script CI34 from Sascha Penn and Theodore Witcher, "By Any Means" is being introduced to buyers at the upcoming AFM by Michael Rothstein and Samuel Hall’s North.Five.Six., which is handling international sales. 

Witcher completed multiple revisions of the script, with Bratton also taking part in the process.

The pic is based on the incredible true story of the notorious mafia hitman who was hired by Hoover’s FBI off-the-books and partnered with a young Black special agent to hunt down those responsible for the murders of civil rights leaders in 1966 Mississippi.

Production is set to kick off in March, with Alex Lebovici producing for Hammerstone Studios, alongside Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee for Thunder Road Films, Chester Algernal Gordon for Freedom Principle, Stephen Levinson, and Wahlberg under his Closest to the Hole Production banner. 

Executive producers are Jonathan Oakes for Hammerstone, Michael Rothstein, Samuel Hall, and Warren Goz for North.Five.Six., Adam Kolbrenner, Sascha Penn, Waylen Lin, Zach Zhang, and Logan Coles.

Coming off of roles in films like "Arthur the King" and "The Family Plan", a popular action comedy for Apple, Wahlberg earlier today signed on for a sequel to the latter, which he’ll also produce. 

Next to be seen in a villainous turn in the Lionsgate action thriller "Flight Risk" directed by Mel Gibson, which hits theaters on January 24, his other upcoming projects at the moment are Shane Black’s Amazon crime thriller "Play Dirty" and the action comedy "Balls Up" for Amazon and Skydance, in which he stars opposite Paul Walter Hauser.