Mark Wahlberg to direct Caron Butler biopic?

Mark Wahlberg wants to make his directorial debut on the Caron Butler biopic. The 46-yearold actor is already producing the movie, about the NBA player’s journey from drug dealer to All-Star, and he will also act in it but Mark is now eyeing the director’s job. TMZ reports that Mark is “very passionate about the project - and thinks it could be the perfect movie to make his directorial debut”. Mark recently admitted he had a project in mind that he’d love to direct and although he did not specify the Butler biopic, he gave a strong hint when he explained that it is set in Wisconsin, where Caron was born and raised. Speaking to Collider, he said: “It’s either going to happen this time next year, or maybe five years from now, who knows? But maybe this time next year. I have one specific project that I’m thinking about. It takes place in Wisconsin. It’s a true story.” However, the directing job may not fall into Mark’s hands after all, as he revealed he’s already sent the script to his frequent collaborator Peter Berg, who he says is also keen to helm the project. If Mark does make the transition into directing, it will come after a hugely successful acting career which saw him named as Hollywood’s highest-paid actor earlier this year. The star topped Forbes’ list for 2017 after earning a whopping $68 million, thanks to huge roles in ‘Daddy’s Home 2’ and ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’. Mark isn’t in too much of a rush to head off into directing though, as the star previously said being a father to daughters Ella, 13, and Grace, seven, and sons Brendan, eight and Michael, 11 - who he has with his wife Rhea Durham - is his number one priority. When asked if being a spiritual person affected which roles he chose, he shared: “Absolutely. And also being a dad. And a husband. What I’m willing to do and not do. I never want to compromise my artistic integrity. But at the same time, with [playing a porn star in] ‘Boogie Nights’, I already did that. I’d be hard-pressed to do something in that world today ... “Sometimes you have no control [over a film’s success]. Once you’ve done everything you can to create something, it goes out there and it either works or doesn’t. At the end of the day I just know I did everything I could do to make it the best it would be. Then you gotta be able to move on. Let it go.”