‘By Any Means’ Star Mark Wahlberg Updates on Bill Belichick and Pete Rose Biopics
Mark Wahlberg has built a career around portraying complex, larger-than-life figures, and his current promotional tour reinforces this trend. With his new crime drama ‘By Any Means’ now in theaters, Wahlberg has been actively discussing his latest transformation while also sharing insights about potential future biographical roles.
During a recent appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show,” Wahlberg discussed his new film alongside his well-known passion for sports. Amid conversations about his beloved New England Patriots, he addressed two long-anticipated biopic projects that fans have been curious about for years.
Wahlberg confirmed that there are genuine discussions regarding a potential Bill Belichick biopic, although he emphasized that the project is still in its early stages. He mentioned that he hasn’t read a script yet but noted that a friend who produced and financed the project currently holds the rights to tell Belichick’s story.
When asked if he would be interested in portraying the legendary coach, Wahlberg responded without hesitation, saying, “Why wouldn’t I be? Of course I would be.” He added that he believes Belichick himself may be interested in the project, which could simplify the process moving forward.
In a more advanced stage of development is a separate biopic focused on baseball legend Pete Rose, a project that Wahlberg revealed has been in the works for quite some time. He shared that the team has gone through multiple versions of the script over the years and is now nearing a workable draft, with hopes to begin production in early 2027.
Wahlberg described the film as centering on Rose during his pursuit of the all-time hits record while serving as player-manager of the Cincinnati Reds, along with the fallout from his conflict with then-commissioner Bart Giamatti. He likened the tone of the project to a blend of a cautionary tale and an entertaining, wild ride, drawing comparisons to films like ‘Raging Bull’ and ‘The Wolf of Wall Street.’
Wahlberg candidly discussed Rose’s complicated legacy, expressing that he has long believed Rose could have secured a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame had he been more transparent about his gambling issues. He acknowledged Rose’s recent passing as unfortunate while still praising him as one of the greatest players in the sport’s history, calling the story a genuine cautionary tale infused with entertainment value.
Much of the discussion also revolved around Wahlberg’s role in ‘By Any Means,’ where he portrays real-life mob figure Greg Scarpa. Wahlberg explained that he was drawn to the project after learning about Scarpa’s involvement in solving the Mississippi Burning case and another 1966 case involving a voting rights activist, details that genuinely stunned him given Scarpa’s reputation as one of the most notorious killers in mafia history.
Wahlberg revealed that he had previously contemplated playing Scarpa years ago in an unproduced project with director Antoine Fuqua centered on the Colombo crime family wars. For ‘By Any Means,’ he spent considerable time with Greg Scarpa Jr., who collaborated with him throughout production, and that Scarpa Jr. and his mother’s reaction to seeing Wahlberg in full costume for the first time helped humanize the character for him in a profoundly personal way.
He also pointed out that the FBI has never officially acknowledged Scarpa’s cooperation during that period, adding an intriguing layer to a story he described as based entirely on true events.
By confirming his interest in playing Belichick and providing fans with a clearer timeline for the long-gestating Pete Rose project, Wahlberg’s conversation offered plenty of fresh insight into the direction of his upcoming major biographical roles.
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