First Images From The Gambler

Mark Wahlberg's got problems

After dodging giant robots and running around a lot for Michael Bay in Transformers: Age Of Extinction, Mark Wahlberg’s spent time since dealing with something a little more down to Earth in Rupert Wyatt’s new film The Gambler. The first images are now online. {The Gambler Stills}

The Gambler follows a literature professor whose gaming addiction lands him in trouble with his girlfriend, his family and some nasty gangsters. The Departed’s William Monahan wrote the new iteration of the script, which was penned for the original 1974 version by James Toback.

"This is a man who has everything – wealth, looks, education," Wyatt tells USA Today. "But he's trapped in a gilded cage of privilege. He sets out on this journey to rid himself of all material possessions – to blow it all up – a quest to strip himself to get back to zero."

For Wahlberg, the biggest challenge was not the weight loss he undertook to strip himself of the muscle and mass he’d gained for the likes of Pain & Gain and Transformers to play the stringy prof. "Forget losing the weight. Being believable as a teacher was one of my greatest challenges and most rewarding. It meant being able to have the comfort to really understand and say those words." For more from the actor, head to USA Today’s site. And given that fresh images from a film is usually the sign that the trailer’s due soon, be on the look out for some footage before too long.

With Brie Larson, John Goodman, Jessica Lange and Michael K. Williams aboard, The Gambler is out in the US on December 19 (for an awards run) and hits the UK on May 1 next year.

from Empire News