Even though they’ve made three films together, Mark Wahlberg and David O. Russell never seem to be in any particular rush. Five years passed between “Three Kings” and “I Heart Huckabees,” and another six passed before “The Fighter.” It’s also been six years since that movie, with Russell making “Silver Linings Playbook,” “American Hustle,” and “Joy” in that time, along with the aborted “Nailed!” which was finished by the producers. And after a trio of pictures with Jennifer Lawrence, it looks like Russell is looking to work again with his old friend.
Wahlberg hit Facebook this afternoon for a live chat with fans, and revealed that he was working on a script with Russell about Father Stuart Long. Wait, who? Well, he’s a man of the cloth who started his life as an athlete and wannabe actor, who eventually found the light and his calling after getting into a motorcycle accident. However, a terminal illness would claim his life at the far too young age of 50.
“Actually David O. Russell and I right now are working on developing a script on Father Stu, who was an amazing priest from Helena, Montana,” Wahlberg said. “He was a very tough guy who was a fighter, a football player…anything but a spiritual guy. He found his calling, and decided, after falling in love with a woman, that he wanted to become a priest. He suffered from this horrible muscular degenerative disease but was still ordained as a priest and passed away, but not before he was able to inspire thousands upon thousands of people.”
This project is likely a bit down the road, as Russell has that high-profile TV show cooking starring Robert De Niro and Julianne Moore (though not much has been heard about it lately). Still, sounds like a pretty great life story for these two to tackle. Check out Father Stuart Long sharing his experiences below in a short, three-part documentary below following Wahlberg’s Facebook video. [Collider]