Mark Wahlberg is hopeful that his long-gestating Six Billion Dollar Man movie will finally happen after being trapped in development hell for nearly a decade.
In a recent interview with Collider, Wahlberg offered a promising update on his feature film version of the classic '70s TV series The Six Million Dollar Man, titled The Six Billion Dollar Man, as he indicated that his role in the new action comedy The Family Plan had potentially renewed interest and put the project back on track.
"I think there is finally hope for that to happen," Wahlberg said of The Six Billion Dollar Man. "It's kind of actually a lot to do with this movie [The Family Plan] because hopefully Skydance will have the rights, if not fully buttoned up now, very soon, and we'll fast track that movie to get made. So, I'm still not out of the fight. I'm still grinding every day to get it made. You know, it's tough to get certain things made, it's very difficult, it was an uphill battle, but I think certain ones are worth just seeing through to the end."
The Six Billion Dollar Man movie has struggled to get off the ground, having encountered various director, writer, and studio changes over the years. However, Wahlberg has remained committed to the project since 2014, when he accepted the lead role of Colonel Steve Austin, with Peter Berg on directing duties.
Filming was due to commence in September 2016 for a theatrical release the following year. Berg had departed the project, with the film's screenwriter Damián Szifron taking over as his replacement. Warner Bros. bought the rights to the project in 2017, which affected the schedule and pushed the movie back to 2020.
After an extended period of uncertainty and further director changes (with Bumblebee helmer Travis Knight attached at one point), it sounds like Skydance is now planning to acquire the rights to the film, with David Ellison, the CEO of Skydance Media, taking the reins and bringing his vision to the project.
"We had the rights, and we were trying to get the script right at Warners, and then, you know, people have the TV rights, you have the estate, and then you have, I think Universal had the international, and lots of things so now to kind of bring it out free and clear, to be able to kind of work out all those different issues and then be able to start fresh with a new writer at Skydance," Wahlberg explained. "I'm excited because nobody does action better than David and everybody, and Dana [Goldberg] and those guys at Skydance, so I couldn't be more excited about the possibility."
The original Six Million Dollar Man series aired from 1973 to 1978, following former astronaut Steve Austin (portrayed by Lee Majors), whose bionic implants gave him superhuman strength, speed and vision. Austin uses these powers in his new role as a secret agent for the fictional U.S. government agency, the OSI.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X @AdeleAnkers.
