Netflix have announced the release date for MMA thriller Spenser Confidential, which will feature Mark Wahlberg and Post Malone.
Based on the novel Wonderland by Ace Atkins, the crime mystery will be released by Netflix from March 6.
The thriller is set in Boston and will see Wahlberg and Post Malone star alongside UFC veteran Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone.
Directed by Peter Berg, the story will follow retired detective Spenser (Wahlberg) as he teams up with an up-and-coming MMA fighter to solve crime.
The project will be Berg’s fifth collaboration with Wahlberg, whose Boston roots make him a perfect fit to play the role of the veteran crime-fighter.
Part of the film was shot on the street where Wahlberg grew up during his teens.
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Oscar Winner
Screenwriter Brian Helgeland was also a natural fit, having grown up in Massachusetts.
Helgeland has previously adapted other Boston-based novels for the screen, including L.A. Confidential (1997), for which he was awarded the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar.
The 58-year-old recently wrote and directed the hit film Legend (2015), a biopic of the Kray twins.
Helgeland tweaked the novel, which is centred around a boxing gym, in favour of MMA.
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Star-Studded
The film will also feature a star-studded cast.
Alongside Mark Wahlberg and Post Malone, Spenser Confidential will feature ‘Cowboy’, who is expected to play himself.
Hollywood star Alan Arkin and comedians Iliza Schlesinger and Marc Maron will also star, along with Avengers star Winston Duke.
MMA fans can be excited about the prospect of the film, consdering the strong ties the lead actor and director have with combat sport.
Mark Wahlberg is no stranger to a fight film, having starred in The Fighter (2010).
Peter Berg, meanwhile, is a self-confessed MMA fan who has previous when it comes to putting fighters in front of a camera. Berg previously cast ex-UFC champion Ronda Rousey in the thriller Mile 22 (2018).
While the extent of Cerrone’s role in the project is unclear, it certainly adds more excitement for UFC fans.
Cerrone, who has been working on the film since 2018, is set to face Conor McGregor on January 18.
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Preparation
Cowboy has taken more of an interest in the entertainment industry lately and recently appeared in More Than A Cowboy, an Amazon documentary which offers a look inside the American’s training camp as he prepares to fight McGregor.
With such a star-studded cast, the film is sure to go down well.
But if Cerrone defeats McGregor at UFC 246, it could be perfect exposure for the upcoming project.
(Featured image source: Instagram/ Mark Wahlberg and Post Malone)