Read carefully. This one drops some spoilers about the ending that those of you who haven't seen the movie might want to avoid.
High body count clouds sequel to "The Departed"
By Steve Gorman
Wed Jan 31, 7:40 PM ET
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - It's hard to imagine a sequel to a movie like Oscar-nominated crime drama "The Departed," which ends in such a spasm of violence that hardly any of the lead characters are left alive.
But almost anything is possible in Hollywood when enough money is at stake. So it should come as no surprise that a follow-up to Martin Scorsese's cops-and-gangsters thriller, the biggest box-office hit of his career, is already in the works.
A person close to the situation said on Wednesday that the screenwriter behind "The Departed," William Monahan, was outlining a film script that would bring back a surviving character played by Mark Wahlberg and introduce a new role envisioned for Robert De Niro.
Neither Monahan's spokesman nor Warner Bros. Pictures, which distributed "The Departed," had any comment on sequel plans. One studio spokeswoman called talk of a possible follow-up "premature."
Representatives for Wahlberg and Scorsese could not immediately be reached. And De Niro's publicist said he was not aware of any talks involving his client, who is good friends with Scorsese.
It was Wahlberg who told MTV on the red carpet of the Golden Globe Awards earlier this month about the possibility of enlisting De Niro to star in a "Departed" follow-up.
Wahlberg earned an Oscar nomination as best supporting actor for his role in the film as a hot-headed, foul-mouthed police detective. Scorsese was nominated as best director for his work on the film.
The movie itself, adapted from the 2002 Hong Kong film "Infernal Affairs," about an undercover cop who infiltrates a crime gang to root out a police department mole, was nominated as best picture and is considered a front-runner to win Hollywood's top honor on February 25.
According to sources cited by The Hollywood Reporter, Scorsese would need to approve any plans for a new film before it could move forward.
Scorsese has never directed a sequel to any of his films, though his 1986 pool hall drama "The Color of Money" was a follow-up to 1961's "The Hustler" directed by Robert Rossen.
The original "Infernal Affairs" was followed by a "prequel," involving events leading up to the first movie, and a third film that combined elements of the first two. According to The Reporter, the idea of a prequel for "The Departed" has not been ruled out.
"The Departed" has so far grossed $125.8 million in U.S. ticket sales alone, making it by far the biggest box-office success among the five films nominated for an Academy Award as best picture.
Reuters/Nielsen
Scorsese to make The Departed 2 - Sequel and possible prequel in the works
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Sequel to The Departed in the works: report
Thursday, February 1, 2007 | 11:47 AM ET
Buoyed by a lucrative box-office take and several Oscar nods, The Departed may be sticking around.
Talks are underway to make a sequel to director Martin Scorsese's violent crime thriller, according to a report Wednesday in the Hollywood Reporter.
Departed writer William Monahan is working on a new story involving the foul-mouthed cop played by Mark Wahlberg — who earned one of the film's five Oscar nominations for the role — and a new character to be played by Scorsese favourite Robert DeNiro, sources told the Reporter.
Scorsese, who has never made a sequel to one of his own films, would have to approve any new take before it could be developed, the Reporter said.
Scorsese's biggest hit
Warner Bros., which owns the rights to Infernal Affairs, the Hong Kong film on which The Departed is based, also has option rights to the movie's two sequels.
The second instalment of the Infernal Affairs trilogy is a prequel, raising the possibility that the proposed new Departed film could go in the same direction.
Since its release in early October, The Departed has grossed over $121 million at U.S. box offices, making it the most lucrative hit of Scorsese's career.
Along with Wahlberg's best supporting actor nomination for playing the scrupulous Sergeant Dignam, The Departed garnered Oscar nods for best picture, director, adapted screenplay, and film editing.
The Academy Awards will be handed out Feb. 25 in Hollywood.
Thursday, February 1, 2007 | 11:47 AM ET
Buoyed by a lucrative box-office take and several Oscar nods, The Departed may be sticking around.
Talks are underway to make a sequel to director Martin Scorsese's violent crime thriller, according to a report Wednesday in the Hollywood Reporter.
Departed writer William Monahan is working on a new story involving the foul-mouthed cop played by Mark Wahlberg — who earned one of the film's five Oscar nominations for the role — and a new character to be played by Scorsese favourite Robert DeNiro, sources told the Reporter.
Scorsese, who has never made a sequel to one of his own films, would have to approve any new take before it could be developed, the Reporter said.
Scorsese's biggest hit
Warner Bros., which owns the rights to Infernal Affairs, the Hong Kong film on which The Departed is based, also has option rights to the movie's two sequels.
The second instalment of the Infernal Affairs trilogy is a prequel, raising the possibility that the proposed new Departed film could go in the same direction.
Since its release in early October, The Departed has grossed over $121 million at U.S. box offices, making it the most lucrative hit of Scorsese's career.
Along with Wahlberg's best supporting actor nomination for playing the scrupulous Sergeant Dignam, The Departed garnered Oscar nods for best picture, director, adapted screenplay, and film editing.
The Academy Awards will be handed out Feb. 25 in Hollywood.
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