Following recent credits in movies like Play Dirty and The Family Plan 2, Oscar-nominee Mark Wahlberg is set to head back to the action world for a leading role in a new movie titled By Any Means. Directed by Elegance Bratton (The Inspection) and written by Sascha Penn (Power Book III: Raising Kanan), this film will take Wahlberg and company back to 1966, when a notorious mafia hitman (Gregory Scarpa) teams up with a young Black FBI agent (Wayne Strider) to investigate the murders of Mississippi civil rights leaders. Filming for this new action thriller took place from Apr. 15, 2025, until Jun. 17, 2026.
Joining Wahlberg in the cast is Emmy-winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who will play Strider, teaming up with Wahlberg’s Scarpa. Abdul-Mateen is coming off an incredible start to 2026, in which he officially joined the MCU as Simon Williams in Wonder Man. His solo series became one of Marvel Television’s biggest hits on Disney+, and to the surprise of many, it was renewed for a second season in March, making it the first Spotlight series to move forward into Season 2. Now, the viewing public has a first look at Wahlberg and Abdul-Mateen in action together, courtesy of the first footage from their new movie being released.
Paramount Pictures has now released the first official trailer for By Any Means, starring Mark Wahlberg and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, which takes us back in time 60 years, highlighting the inner workings of 1966 Mississippi during the Civil Rights movement. This comes about three months ahead of the film’s Sept. 4, 2026 release date in theaters. The film also stars Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), Nicole Beharie (42), and Ethan Embry (Vegas Vacation).
As this film progresses, Scarpa and Strider will come face-to-face with members of the KKK. Wahlberg teased in an Entertainment Weekly profile on the movie that the audience will be in for “so much wish fulfillment,” calling this movie “one of the great revenge thrillers in quite a long time.”
Bratton also commented that the story drew directly from real-life events, saying that the KKK “really did burn down his home” and commit murders. Additionally, he reflected on Bettie Dahmer, a survivor of the attack, being on set for a day of filming. Combining that with the history of this era, it made the experience “incredibly satisfying,” as production included the KKK being defeated “every day while making this film.”
By Any Means will debut in theaters on Sept. 4, 2026.
- Birthdate
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June 5, 1971
- Birthplace
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Dorchester, Massachusetts, USA
- Birthname
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Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg
