The DVD for Pain & Gain, Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's bizarre, dark buddy-crime film based on a New Times story, was released yesterday, closing the book on a story that began two decades ago.
But Walhberg and Johnson will still be seeing plenty of each other, thanks to HBO. In May, we reported that the premium cable network had tapped the duo to create an Entourage-like dramedy series about retired athletes in Miami. Details are still scarce, but judging from the project's IMDB page, things seem to be moving forward.
According to IMDB, the series has added actor Omar Benson Miller, who starred as Walter Simmons in CSI: Miami's final episodes, to star alongside Johnson in the TV show. Miller is 34 -- isn't this show about retired players? Athletes have short careers, sure, but 34 seems early for almost any sport. And no offense, Miller, but we're pretty sure you can't play a convincing Olympic gymnast.
Wahlberg is still listed as an executive producer, adding the Miami Athletes Project to his long list of series including Entourage, Boardwalk Empire, and How to Make It In America. He's also listed as a producer on HBO's upcoming Cocaine Cowboys series, based on the documentary by Rakontur, the Miami filmmaking duo of Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman.
But Wahlberg is just one of five executive producers on Miami Athletes; script writer Stephen Levinson is also on that list, joined by pilot director Peter Berg, veteran movie producer Dany Garcia, and, yes, The Rock himself. Johnson's producing credits are quite a bit slimmer than his Pain & Gain bro Wahlberg's. Most recently, he produced the TNT reality series The Hero, in which he starred as a mentor to contestants as they rappelled off tall buildings, trekked through jungles, and did other stuff that heroes allegedly do.
IMDB forecasts the project will air sometime in 2014.
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