Mark Wahlberg’s Six Billion Dollar Man needs to search for a new director

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Ruh oh. Production on THE SIX BILLION DOLLAR MAN was due to begin this summer, but THR reports that they've hit a bit of a snag: Damian Szifron (WILD TALES), who co-wrote the script and was set to direct the film, has departed the project due to, say it with me now, creative differences. Deadline adds that other reports have claimed that the Argentinean was let go due to the language barrier. To reach that conclusion after three years of development on the film? I don't know.

THE SIX BILLION DOLLAR MAN will find Mark Wahlberg starring as Steve Austin, a military officer who is given bionic body parts and extraordinary abilities by a secret government program after a horrific accident nearly ends his life. It's also been recently reported that Wahlberg had been courting Mel Gibson for a role in the film, which THR said would be that of Oscar Goldman, the government mentor of Austin. The outlet also notes that it's possible that Gibson could be convinced to take on directing duties as well, especially as Warner Bros. is scrambling to look for another director who can keep to its previously announced schedule. Interesting, but Mel Gibson is already in the midst of developing another directorial project, DESTROYER, a World War II drama which tells the tale of how the crew of the USS Laffey "heroically withstood twenty-two kamikaze attacks at Okinawa in what the US Navy called 'one of the great sea epics of the war.'" Might he jump ship for THE SIX BILLION DOLLAR MAN? I suppose we'll find out before too long as the studio is going to need to get someone in the chair right away if they're hoping to keep their May 31, 2019 release date.

Who should step in to direct THE SIX BILLION DOLLAR MAN?