CinemaCon in Las Vegas has given us a lot of details about new and upcoming film projects, from the new trailer for Spider-Man: Homecoming, descriptions of the first footage from The Dark Tower, and more details on Luc Besson's Valerian (which might get as many as two sequels).

In addition to the big franchise news, Adam Fogelson, the president of STX entertainment, made an appearance with Mark Wahlberg and Peter Berg to hype their next project. Berg and Wahlberg have already partnered a number of times for Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon, and Patriots Day, all of which were critically well received. The duo is looking to take that success to the next level with their newest collaboration: Mile 22.

Mile 22 sees Wahlberg playing the role of a CIA responsible for transporting a witness out of a city in Indonesia to an airport 22 miles away. Between them and safety is an entire city of criminals, crooked cops, violent locals, and a number of other threats looking to prevent their escape.

The movie is the first of a planned trilogy, which could mean Mark Wahlberg is finally about to star in his own proper action franchise. Wahlberg shared his own thoughts on Mile 22, expressing high hopes for its franchise potential:

“I’ve been able to make a lot of different movies in a lot of different genres, and I still don’t feel like I have the movie role that really kind of defines ‘me.’ When I say me and my body of work, I’m really hoping this is the thing. I’m hoping the first thing you think of when you think Mark Wahlberg is Mile 22.”

Berg also has high hopes for the film, in which he embraces a return to pure action spectacle after his recent successes with war films and thrillers.

“Mark and I have made three films now that are pretty heavy, to put it mildly. For us, to do Mile 22 and something that’s fictional, and what we hope to be an intelligent, adult action film that’s got a lot of muscle and intensity…It’s a piece of fiction we’re very excited about it. We’re coming at you with a big ass action movie.”

Needless to say, if Mile 22 truly backs up the bold claims of all involved, it has the potential to be the next big action franchise. There's still no release date specified, but hopefully, Berg and Wahlberg's decision to hype the project at CinemaCon indicates the project is being set into motion, which means more news should be on the horizon.

Source: Slash Film