If you can believe it, Mark Wahlberg almost had a role in J.J. Abrams “Star Trek” franchise as Captain Kirk’s father, a role which eventually went to a young Chris Hemsworth. At the time, Abrams had been shopping around potential roles to some pretty big names. But according to Wahlberg in an interview with Total Film, he turned down the role — and for a pretty hilarious reason.
Wahlberg says his upbringing was more practical and as such he’s never really been into science-fiction — he remarked he’d only seen the original “Star Wars” once. So, when he tried to read the script, it threw him off. “I tried to read the script, I didn’t understand the words or dialogue or anything, and I said, I couldn’t do this.” Warp speed, Mr. Sulu! Basically, Wahlberg couldn’t fathom some of the sci-fi terms and language, probably because it talks about systems and tech that most outside the genre would never recognize.
It worked out for the best in the end. The 2009 reboot of “Star Trek” currently has a 94% rating from critics and a 91% rating from users. It was also a box office hit, making $257 million domestically and $385 million globally on a $150 million budget. It also went on to spawn several sequels, all sans Mark Wahlberg. Although, he is seeing some recent success with his Will Ferrell co-starred comedies topping the Netflix charts. He may not be super into sci-fi, but he sure can be a funny guy. Interestingly, the release of one Ferrell/Wahlberg comedy — “Daddy’s Home” — also went up against “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” back when it hit theaters.
Who was Wahlberg supposed to play?
While the role eventually went to Chris Hemsworth, before his big debut in the MCU as Thor, Wahlberg was meant to play George Kirk, the father of Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk — at least that’s what the actor said during the interview. Dubbed the “alternate reality films” because a new set of happenings and circumstances take place in contrast to events of the original “Star Trek” series and films, it certainly would have been interesting to see Wahlberg in the role. It’s odd to think about which direction he would have taken the role. Although, at the time “Star Trek” was in the middle of casting, Wahlberg had recently finished “The Happening,” and before that “Max Payne,” which was a commercial box office flop.
It’s okay, though, because Wahlberg himself thought “Star Trek” director J.J. Abrams did a great job on the reboot, recognizing that the film was in good hands all along. He’s also been in some streaming bangers recently, like the Wahlberg/Kevin Hart-led “Me Time” which dominated Netflix for a while, “Uncharted” alongside Tom Holland — which, coincidentally was banned in the Philippines and Vietnam for a visual mix-up — and his more recent flick on Amazon Prime Video called “Play Dirty.” The latter became one of the most watched Amazon MGM Studios streaming movies of all time. In other words, he’s not doing too bad for himself.
