Original Fast and Furious Star Rejected $605 Million Mark Wahlberg Transformers Movie That Almost Killed the $4.8B Strong Franchise

byRamaJune 4, 2023, 8:41 am

Mark Wahlberg has ascended to the heights of stardom in the entertainment industry. He has been in show business for more than two decades, after beginning his acting career with the television film The Substitute in 1993. He later gained the attention of industry heavyweights with the 1994 American comedy film Renaissance Man. Wahlberg is one of the most in-demand stars in showbiz, who has done several genre-busting and versatile roles in his storied career.

His journey from a rapper to one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood is inspiring. The actor has worked in numerous blockbuster projects, one of which includes the commercially successful Transformers franchise. The film series went on to make bucketloads of cash, but one of the beloved co-stars of Wahlberg couldn't return to the fifth installment in the film series due to some bombshell reasons.

Mark Wahlberg is arguably one of the finest talents in the film industry, who demonstrated his immense acting genius in his films. He has extraordinary acting techniques and an exceptional approach to playing his silver-screen characters effectively and effortlessly. Wahlberg is an alpha masculine ideal in Hollywood, who loves taking challenging on-screen roles.

In 2017, the actor made headlines for reprising his iconic role as Cade Yeager in Michael Bay's directorial movie Transformers: The Last Knight, and while many original stars made their return in the beloved Transformers film series’ fifth installment, one of the prominent actors couldn't make his comeback.

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According to reports, Tyrese Gibson was initially supposed to reprise his role of Robert Epps in Transformers 5, which he played in the previous sequels of the franchise. However, because of conflicting schedule issues, he went on to star in the Fast & Furious franchise film. Gibson confirmed his return to the Transformers franchise in his 2016 interview while the actor was also busy shooting for his big-budget movie in the Fast and the Furious franchise. He told ET,

"Let's just say 2017, summertime; it's going to be a lot of energy; out there in the universe: Fast 8, Transformers 5. I’m here to take advantage of my America."

The Baby Boy movie actor later explained why he wasn't in the Transformers: The Last Knight. In a candid interview, Tyrese Gibson said,

"I’m not in the next one. So the truth is that when we were shooting Fast 8, I closed my deal for Transformers 5 and was supposed to go from Fast 8 to T5. But because they shot a lot of the movie in Europe, my schedule didn't allow me to go from Atlanta to London in between those days."

The actor continued,

"I mean, I was p****d. The goal was for me and Josh Duhamel to come back and surprise the fans that two of the guys from the original Transformers were back. Josh Duhamel was available, and I wasn't. So I was p****d."

Hollywood star Tyrese Gibson could not return as Robert Epps in Transformers: The Last Knight due to a scheduling clash as he was filming another big banner movie in the Fast & Furious franchise. While both the fascinating projects demanded his full attention to his roles, Mark Wahlberg's co-star eventually continued filming for The Fate of the Furious and couldn't make time for Transformers 5.

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Mark Wahlberg has been ruling the silver screen with his dynamic acting skills. His first leading roles in big-budget productions came with Danny DeVito's feature Renaissance Man in 1993. Wahlberg's claim to fame came in 2006 as he delivered a show-stopping performance in Martin Scorsese's critically acclaimed directorial, The Departed, for which he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He has since starred in dozens of comedy and action films like Lone Survivor, Patriots Day, The Basketball Diaries, Deepwater Horizon, and Boogie Nights.

Also Read: After Losing Multiple Franchises Including Transformers, Mark Wahlberg Pleading US Government for $190M Tax Credits to Turn Las Vegas into ‘Hollywood 2.0’

The seventh installment in the Transformers live-action film series, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, is set to hit theaters on June 9, 2023.

Source: Screen Rant

Mark WahlbergTyrese Gibson

With 5 years of experience with major sites, Rama is a veteran of Entertainment Journalism. She writes explosive articles for FandomWire and is a close observer of pop culture and films. Above all, she always takes life with a grain of salt. And a slice of lemon. And a shot of tequila.