Mark Wahlberg in the 2001 ‘Planet of the Apes’ Reboot

Paramount is currently in talks with Mark Wahlberg to star in a reboot of the 1974 film The Gambler. A remake has been in the works for a while now, with Martin Scorsese attached to direct at one point. Most recently Todd Phillips (The Hangover) was set to direct Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception), however when that deal fell through Paramount started talking to Wahlberg and director Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes). Both Wahlberg and Wyatt have worked on the Planet of the Apes franchise (Wahlberg starred in the Tim Burton’s 2001 remake) but this would be the first time the two have worked together on a film.

The Gambler tells the story of an English professor (played by James Caan in the original version) who’s gambling addiction gets him into trouble with some gangsters. William Monahan (The Departed) will pen the script for the reboot, which will be produced by Irwin Winkler (GoodFellas). Seems like all they need now it to convince Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather) to produce as well and maybe Al Pacino (Scarface) to star.

In other news Wyatt has been rumored to be in talks to direct the third Star Trek installment, which J. J. Abrams will be unable to do because of his commitment to direct Star Wars Episode VII.

Paramount is looking to continue their positive relationship with Wahlberg in The Gambler. The actor recently starred in Pain and Gain and is currently filming Transformers: Age of Extinction, which is the first sequel of his career, although it’s Wahlberg’s first Transformers movie.