Paramount Pictures has debuted the official red band trailer for crime drama The Gambler, which stars Mark Wahlberg as an English professor that struggles to keep a hold on his relationship with the tables.
Billed as a loose remake of James Cann’s 1974 film of the same name, The Gambler will be directed by Rupert Wyatt who, like Wahlberg, is taking a break from the high-octane blockbusters following his work on Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
In essence, Wahlberg plays an everyday man known as Jim Bennett who has everything he could possibly need to sustain a happy, health life; but, one day, fuelled by his innate gambling urge, Bennett channels his inner Tyler Durden to rid himself of all forms of desire. Heck, even John Goodman’s loan shark is shocked by his left-field actions in the above trailer.
By preparing for the role, Wahlberg shed a full 60 pounds and looks strangely scrawny as the professor-turned gambler. It looks like he’s doing some great work here and it’ll be interesting to see the actor take on a more understated role following his work on Pain & Gain and Transformers.
Wyatt’s film has also mustered quite the ensemble cast, with Jessica Lange, John Goodman and Brie Larson joining Wahlberg in the drama — which, by all indications, may be involved in this year’s Oscars race as an outlying candidate.
The Gambler will release in select theaters in the United States on December 19th, 2014.
Jim Bennett is a risk taker. Both an English professor and a high-stakes gambler, Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster and offers his own life as collateral. Always one step ahead, Bennett pits his creditor against the operator of a gambling ring and leaves his dysfunctional relationship with his wealthy mother in his wake. He plays both sides, immersing himself in an illicit, underground world while garnering the attention of Frank, a loan shark with a paternal interest in Bennett’s future. As his relationship with a student deepens, Bennett must take the ultimate risk for a second chance.
