Prime Video has assembled a crack team of thieves for their next film, Play Dirty, and in just under two months, they’ll be sent out for the biggest job of their lives. The new heist thriller from the mind of Iron Man 3 director Shane Black will kick off the month of October on the platform with plenty of action and a star-studded cast led by Mark Wahlberg and LaKeith Stanfield. Ahead of its release, we’re excited to share a new image of the two sharp-dressed stars strolling up to their next mission as part of Collider‘s Exclusive Preview event for upcoming movies. The pair will also be joined by Rosa Salazar for the operation, which will pit them against international power players in their attempts to strike it big.
Play Dirty is based on the Parker series of novels, particularly the first installment, 1962’s The Hunter, created by author Donald E. Westlake under his pen name, Richard Stark. Westlake‘s novels have been the inspiration for plenty of films before Black’s, with The Hunter specifically inspiring John Boorman‘s 1967 flick Point Blank and Brian Helgeland‘s 1999 adaptation Payback, which starred Lee Marvin and Mel Gibson, respectively, as Parker. The most recent spin on the series came in 2013 when another action favorite, Jason Statham, took up the mantle of the titular character in Parker from Ray director Taylor Hackford. Wahlberg will now don the name of the novel’s protagonist, bringing with him an action and crime-drama-packed resume that spans from The Departed to, most recently, Flight Risk.
The film will follow the expert thief Parker when an opportunity for a major heist presents itself, pitting him against a South American dictator, the New York mafia, and the world’s richest man. Fortunately, he joins a skilled team to make the job go smoothly, including members Grofield (Stanfield) and Zen (Salazar). It’s billed as a “gritty, clever caper” combining elements of the novels and tracking the crew’s efforts to outmaneuver the powerful people attempting to stop them dead in their tracks. The cherry on top is a loaded ensemble rounded out by Keegan-Michael Key, Chukwudi Iwuji, Nat Wolff, Thomas Jane, and Tony Shalhoub.
‘Play Dirty’ Marks Shane Black’s Return to the Director’s Chair
For Black, Play Dirty is his first turn writing and/or directing since he was placed in charge of 2018’s The Predator. Before then, he had been an in-demand name, penning the original Lethal Weapon and taking up both duties on the darkly satirical whodunnit Kiss Kiss Bang Bang starring his eventual Iron Man 3 collaborator Robert Downey Jr. In addition to being Black‘s return to filmmaking after seven years, the film is also a reunion between him and Downey Jr., who is attached as an executive producer with Susan Downey through their Team Downey banner. Jules Daly, Marc Toberoff, and James W. Skotchdopole are also attached as producers, with fellow executive producers Charles Mondry and Anthony Bagarozzi also helping write the script.
Play Dirty premieres on Prime Video on October 1.
via Collider