It’s been a while since Shane Black fans have had to wait so long for a new movie directed by the filmmaker. Black last worked on 2018’s Predator, but he’s got some projects lined up that are pretty exciting. One of them is Play Dirty, an action-comedy flick that has Mark Wahlberg in the lead. Even though details of the project are still kept under wraps, Collider had the chance to sit down with Wahlberg himself and get a bit of info about the upcoming title.

During the interview, Wahlberg shared with our Editor-in-Chief Steve Weintraub his excitement of finally being able to work with Black and listed some elements we can expect to see in Play Dirty. The actor also teased the kind of movies that this new title reminds him of, and from the sound of it, it’s another must-watch in the director’s filmography:

“For me, it’s like ‘
The Italian Job’
meets ‘
Heat
.’ It’s got the action, it’s got the high stakes, it’s got the humor, it’s got these great characters, the best Shane Black dialogue. I waited a long time to get a script like that. Any time we talked about, ‘Okay, what’s the kind of movie you wanna do as an actor if we’re talking a big, giant commercial movie?’ And ‘
Lethal Weapon’
is always right there, and some of the other films that Shane has written, so I couldn’t have been more happy. Hopefully he was as happy as I was with the experience.”

Shane Black’s Next Movie Sounds Like a Must-Watch

The fact that Walhberg mentions that Play Dirty has “the best Shane Black dialogue” is excellent news for fans. The director and screenwriter earned a reputation in Hollywood due to his witty screenplays — recently with the Robert Downey Jr. comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang but most notably with the Lethal Weapon franchise. So, good dialogue is a major draw for audiences in his movies, and it’s great to know that the filmmaker is staying true to his roots.

At the same time, Walhberg’s mention of The Italian Job and Heat also make Play Dirty instantly more interesting. The Italian Job is one of the most popular heist movies of the last couple of decades — with Walhberg himself on the cast — and fans of it have begged for a sequel for the past twenty years. Heat is considered one of modern cinema’s classics, with an intricate thriller story that pitted Robert De Niro (Killers of the Flower Moon) and Al Pacino (Hunters) against each other. The movie is slated to get a legacy sequel slated to premiere in theaters soon.

Further details from Play Dirty are yet to be announced, including additional cast members and release window. Stick with Collider to find out more new about the movie as soon as it is announced. Watch our full conversation for The Union below.