‘By Any Means’ With Mark Wahlberg & Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Lands Fall Release Date

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I’m really excited about this new movie, By Any Means! Mark Wahlberg, who I loved in Transformers, is teaming up with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, a fantastic actor from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Paramount Pictures just picked it up, and it’s coming out this fall. It sounds like a gritty crime thriller – Wahlberg plays a hitman and Abdul-Mateen II is the FBI agent after him – but with a cool twist: it’s based on a true story from the past. I can’t wait to see it!

Directed by Elegance Bratton, known for her work on the film The Inspection and episodes of American Horror Stories and Grotesquerie, By Any Means features a script by Sascha Penn, who has written for shows like Power and Creed II. The film stars Nicole Beharie (42, Shame), David Strathairn (The Bourne Ultimatum), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), Josh Lucas (Yellowstone), and Ethan Embry (Scream 7), along with Mark Wahlberg and Colman Domingo. It’s based on a true story about an unlikely partnership: a mafia hitman and a young Black FBI agent who are forced to collaborate.

This suspenseful thriller takes place in Mississippi in 1966 and is inspired by real events. It centers on a dangerous deal: a tough mafia hitman and a rookie Black FBI agent must work together to find the people who murdered civil rights leaders. As they investigate, they uncover a conspiracy that pushes the boundaries of justice, tests their loyalty, and forces them to fight for survival.

The movie By Any Means has many of the typical ingredients of a Mark Wahlberg action film – police, criminals, and a partnership between two law enforcement officers. What sets it apart, though, is its serious tone and subject matter. It’s based on the true story of murdered civil rights leaders and feels similar to the acclaimed film Mississippi Burning, which starred Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackman, and followed FBI agents investigating the disappearance of civil rights workers.

Although we haven’t seen any official photos from the movie By Any Means, pictures taken during filming reveal Mark Wahlberg looking drastically different. Many believe this role could be his next attempt to earn an Oscar, following his nominations for The Departed and The Fighter.

The crime thriller is being produced by Alex Lebovici of Hammerstone Studios, Chester Algernal Gordon and Bratton from Freedom Principle, Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee of Thunder Road, and Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson of Municipal. Paramount Pictures will release the film on Labor Day weekend, September 4, 2026.

Director Elegance Bratton describes the new film as a story about unexpected partnerships formed when things seem hopeless. It explores a world where achieving justice is messy and uncovering the truth isn’t easy. Bratton aimed to examine violence not just as individual acts, but as a larger, systemic problem, and the impact it has on those affected by it.

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2026-04-13 14:47