Two of Mark Wahlberg’s best performances almost got exciting sequels, but real-world circumstances are keeping them out of production.

SUMMARY

 Wahlberg’s best movie roles could have gotten sequels, but they likely won’t due to timing and lack of script completion.
 Two of his most critically acclaimed roles are from The Departed and The Fighter , leaving potential for great sequels.
 The legacy of both films remains strong, but follow-ups are unlikely due to Wahlberg aging out of his roles and lack of scripts.

Two of Mark Wahlberg’s best movies would have justified a sequel, but the time for the actor to reprise those roles is likely closed forever. After debuting in the world of music as a teenager, Wahlberg shifted into acting and has worked consistently since the 1990s. His work has varied over that career, with plenty of examples of Wahlberg stepping into a leading action role or deploying solid comic timing alongside stars like Will Ferrell.

Many of his most memorable performances have been his more dramatic ones, pushing the performer to find a well of vulnerability amid otherwise macho characters that could have been expanded to justify a Mark Wahlberg-led franchise

Two of his most memorable roles have spoken to that skill, allowing Wahlberg to indulge in overtly impressive men whose flaws and hang-ups make them all the more compelling. Two of Mark Wahlberg’s best movie roles were almost given sequels to be further fleshed out, and here’s why they never came to pass.

Mark Wahlberg has starred in plenty of action movies over the past 30 years, although it must be admitted some were much better than others.

Mark Wahlberg Has Previously Discussed Sequels To Both The Departed & The Fighter

Two Of Mark Wahlberg’s Best Roles Could Have Gotten Great Sequels

Mark Wahlberg’s best potential sequels would have brought back his characters from The Departed and The Fighter, but neither of them are likely to ever get produced. The Departed and The Fighter stand out as highlights of Wahlberg’s career. The former was a high-profile collaboration with Martin Scorsese that featured Wahlberg as a foul-mouthed Boston Police Staff Sergeant Sean Dignam, who works alongside an undercover Billy Costigan to bring down Frank Costello’s criminal empire. Four years later, The Fighter starred Mark Wahlberg as legendary boxer Micky Ward opposite Christian Bale’s Academy Award-winning performance as Ward’s brother Dicky Eklund.

The two performances are among Wahlberg’s most critically acclaimed. Dignam in particular remains popular among audiences.

Wahlberg seems to agree, given his public statements about potentially appearing in sequels to those two films. In the aftermath of The Departed‘s success, a follow-up film focusing on Dignam was considered and went so far as to be pitched to Warner Bros.

Meanwhile, Wahlberg told Screen Rant during an interview that he would love to return to the character of Micky Ward to showcase some of his most famous fights.

The Departed 2 & The Fighter 2 Would’ve Been Mark Wahlberg’s Best Sequels

Both Films Left Wahlberg’s Characters With Clear Future Arcs

Both The Fighter 2 and The Departed 2 would have been interesting follow-ups, given the pedigree and success of their respective predecessors. Wahlberg spoke about The Fighter 2 in 2022, a potential follow-up to The Fighter that would have recounted Ward’s legendary three fights with Arturo Gatti.

“You always felt like you couldn’t make a movie about Mickey Ward without showing the Arturo Gatti Trilogy, which were some of the greatest fights…. The Fighter really lent itself for another movie because of Micky and Arturo Gotti’s trilogy.”

You always felt like you couldn’t make a movie about Mickey Ward without showing the Arturo Gatti Trilogy, which were some of the greatest fights.

Dignam was one of the few main characters to survive the events of The Departed. This would have made a sequel about his character particularly compelling, especially in light of his drastic actions in the ending of The Departed. Conversely, a prospective prequel could have explored Dignam’s backstory and showcased his own efforts in the field in contrast to his largely sideline role in The Departed.

Both of these prospects would have been an exciting return for Wahlberg, but it seems increasingly likely that neither of them are in the cards for the actor.

Mark Wahlberg proved he can play a villain extremely well back in 1996, but his upcoming role as an antagonist could outperform it in several ways.

Why The Departed 2 & The Fighter 2 Never Happened (& Almost Certainly Won’t)

Mark Wahlberg Might Be Too Old For Either Sequel To Work

Both The Fighter 2 and a follow-up to The Departed eventually went into development, but neither film was formally produced. The Fighter 2 was announced in 2011 but hasn’t received any updates since Jerry Ferrara was attached to the cast of The Fighter 2. At the time, it was assumed (but unconfirmed) that Ferrara would play Arturo Gatti against Wahlberg.

However, Whalberg admitted in 2022 to potentially aging out of the role. Micky Ward was in his mid-30s when he first fought Gatti, and the sheer reality of his age makes it unlikely that a sequel will ever move forward.

A follow-up to The Departed was initially likelier. For a time, a film focusing on Dignam went through development. Wahlberg took part in a pitch with Warner Bros. about the project, but later admitted the pitch “didn’t go well” because of the lack of a completed script.

Nearly two decades later, any prequel focusing on Dignam would need to recast, and a sequel would lack the urgency felt in the aftermath of the first film. While audiences will likely never see sequels to The Departed or The Fighter, the legacy of both films remains strong in the film-going audience.

A remake of the 2002 film Infernal Affairs, Martin Scorcese’s The Departed is one of the definitive crime epics. It follows Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), a Massachusetts State Police officer who serves as an informant for mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), and Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), an undercover cop placed within Costello’s organization. Both Sullivan and Costigan scramble to uncover the other’s identity in order to save their own lives from the wrath of Costello and his gang.

The Fighter is a biographical sports film based on the true story of boxer Micky Ward and his older brother Dicky Eklund.

Micky, who has fallen from grace after his legendary bout with Sugar Ray Leonard and losses along the way, is participating in an interview that he believes is about his boxing career but turns out to be a piece on crack addiction.

Seeking redemption and a way back into the ring, Mickey and Dicky train together to restore their family’s honor and repair a broken home.