‘TRANSFORMERS 4’ gets new leading man in Marky Mark Wahlberg. Wicked pissah?

I dog Mark Wahlberg, but I like the guy. Boogie Nights, I Heart Huckabees, Ted? All dope. That said, I can’t see the guy leading an action franchise. Though I suppose the leading stars of the Transformers franchise are whatever set of breasts Michael Bay is objectifying, and the CGI-houses powering the special effects. Hey-o!

Comics Alliance:

Wahlberg, who has just finished working with the bombastic Bay on the upcoming crime flick Pain and Gain (due in theaters next year), has been confirmed as the (human) star of the fourth installment of the Transformers movie series following rumors online last week that Bay was considering him. After initially denying that Wahlberg was involved, Bay realized that whoever made up the rumor was onto something. “Let’s say some ideas are gaining traction with me and my writer,” he posted on his website on Hallowe’en, “so I’m here to say thanks internet chatter.”

Now, Bay is using his website to announce the news officially, saying “Mark is awesome. We had a blast working on “Pain and Gain” and I’m so fired up to be back working with him. An actor of his caliber is the perfect guy to re-invigorate the franchise and carry on the Transformers’ legacy.”

The news was accompanied by a new graphic teasing the fourth movie (above), which is due in theaters June 27, 2014. We can but hope that Wahlberg’s first appearance on screen in the movie will be to announce the untimely demise of Shia LeBeouf’s Sam – and start wondering just how soon we can start seeing hints of who Wahlberg will be playing popping up in IDW’s Transformers line. After all, the publisher started releasing prologue comics for the third movie eight months before its release, and no-one can deny that comics have needed just a little bit more Wahlberg since the industry’s 1990s heyday…