Mark Wahlberg To Star In Universal's 'Bait And Switch'?

Briefly: Universal is definitely in the Mark Wahlberg business. He is now shooting Ted with director/writer/co-star Seth MacFarlane, and also has the thriller/remake Contraband coming up; both Universal projects. And now the studio has bought Matthew J. O'Neill's spec script Bait and Switch to be developed as a Mark Wahlberg vehicle.

He's a young writer and there's not a lot of info on the script, but trades call it an action comedy. (Which leads me to imagine something in The Other Guys mode, but that could be off-base.) The film is being produced by Scott Stuber, who is also a producer on Ted. Producers and directors seem to love working with Wahlberg, and for obvious reasons: he's a dedicated worker who can keep a project like The Fighter alive for years. I only wish I liked his performances and films more. And before any Uncharted fans think to complain about this development, consider that every additional project added to the actor's plate is one that could leave him too busy to make the video game adaptation. [Variety]