Mark Wahlberg Dives into 'Deepwater Horizon'

You may be able to find Mark Wahlberg ducking laser fire in the $1B-grossing Transformers: Age of Extinction, but he's also turned a lot of true stories into pretty big hits. Earlier this year we saw him in the war film Lone Survivor, and one of his most acclaimed performances was as Micky Ward in The Fighter. Now he's set to star in another real life tale, joining J.C. Chandor's film on the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Deadline reports Wahlberg is in talks to star in Deepwater Horizon, which Chandor (All is Lost, Margin Call) will write and direct based on the New York Times article, “Deepwater Horizon’s Final Hour." Wahlberg will play the No. 2 manager on the oil rig which exploded in 2010, killing 11 and causing the worst oil spill since the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989. The heroism of those who attempted a dangerous water rescue of the crew is what the story will focus on, rather than the particulars of the disaster itself.

Production on Deepwater Horizon is slated to begin next year in the spring or summer.