Mark Wahlberg starring in real-life dog saga ‘Arthur the King’
The locally bred 'Patriot's Day' star has nabbed the lead role in a heartwarming true tale of man's best friend.
Just weeks after replacing fellow Massachusetts native Chris Evans in Antoine Fuqua’s sci-fi thriller “Infinite,” Mark Wahlberg has been collared for another leading role.
The Dorchester-bred actor will star in “Arthur the King,” a true-life tale of four-legged friendship that Paramount Players is shepherding toward the big screen. Based on Mikael Lindnord’s autobiographical “Arthur: The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle,” the story will focus on Lindnord – a Swedish adventure racer – and his unlikely relationship with a big-hearted street dog.
Back in 2014, Lindnord was competing in Ecuador with an extreme sports team when he offered a canned meatball to a badly wounded stray dog, who then followed them for the remainder of the epic, 400-mile race through the Ecuadorian jungles. The tale of their friendship won the hearts of millions worldwide.
Wahlberg will play Lindnord, working from a script by “Chicago Fire” scribe Michael Brandt, also known for penning the “3:10 to Yuma” remake. The project continues Wahlberg’s strong alliance with Paramount, which was behind the actor’s roles in two “Transformers” movies as well as both “Daddy’s Home” comedies and recent release “Instant Family.”
“Infinite,” also at Paramount, is expected to shoot this fall, before Wahlberg turns his attention to “Arthur the King.” The Hollywood Reporter first broke the news.
