Remaking and rebooting older films is the bread and butter of modern Hollywood. Once in a while, a filmmaker decides to approach a previously known work in order to retell the story in a different way or look at the same themes from a different angle. Sometimes, this approach will land a screenwriter with a serious prize, as William Monahan discovered when he adapted Hong Kong's 'Infernal Affairs' into 'The Departed' and won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Mark Wahlberg in 'The Gambler'
Mark Wahlberg in 'The Gambler'

Monahan has returned to write the screenplay for a remake of 1974's 'The Gambler', and lead actor Mark Wahlberg (who also starred in 'The Departed'), couldn't have more praise for the writer. "I mean, I was a really huge fan of the original" said Wahlberg, "but I felt that Bill Monahan did a really amazing job of bringing something different to it."

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Wahlberg has a bit of history with Monahan, and explained their relationship as well as his role in the film, saying: "He wrote 'The Departed', he also wrote 'American Desperado' which we're doing soon, and I just played a small part in his second directorial effort call 'Mojave' - so I love his writing, I love the opportunity of working with Rupert [Wyatt], I love playing a literary professor; that's something that was a bit out of my comfort zone."

Watch The Trailer For 'The Gambler' Here:


Aside from loving the material, Wahlberg expressed his enjoyment for working on the character of Jim Bennett in the film - a literary professor who finds his way into gambling debt. Discussing Bennett, Wahlberg explained: "He's a very unapologetic person. He just says what he feels and that's why his students really identify with him. His classroom is always packed with these kids, even though he's brutally honest and most of the time he's insulting them and telling them the truth about their inability to become great writers". 

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'The Gambler' opens on Christmas Day in the US. 

Mark Wahlberg in 'The Gambler'
Mark Wahlberg in 'The Gambler'