Anthony Mackie in talks to join Mark Wahlberg in Michael Bay film Pain and Gain

The Hurt Locker star Anthony Mackie – who recently wrapped the independent film Vipaka with Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker – is in talks to join Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson in Michael Bay’s low-budget Paramount film Pain and Gain. This according to Variety.

Pain and Gain is based on a true story first told in an article from the Miami New Times, following a group of bodybuilders who engaged in a campaign of kidnapping, extortion and murder in the state of Florida.

Mackie is in talks to play Adrian Doorbal, a big-hearted bodybuilder who works out with Wahlberg’s character, Daniel Lugo. Doorbal has little to show for his hard work, leading him to get involved with Lugo’s scheme. Ed Harris will co-star as private detective Ed Du Bois, while Rob Corddry will play John Mese, the former accountant and notary who owns the gym where Lugo works.

Michael Bay will produce the film with Donald De Line and Ian Bryce, based on a script from Captain America writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. Production is expected to start this spring.

Mackie is coming off a series of strong supporting roles, including Universal’s The Adjustment Bureau, DreamWorks’ Real Steel and Summit’s Man on a Ledge, as well as the upcoming Fox adaptation of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Warner Bros. The Gangster Squad.