The tone of the project is described as "The Color of Money" meets "The Karate Kid," and it came out of Wahlberg and [producer Stephen] Levinson seeing Bieber play ball in February during a celebrity game held during NBA All-Star Game weekend. Bieber more than held his own against celebs and former players; he was named MVP.
It's true that Bieber was the talk of the game, which seemed to bring together all his special talents: his immense likeability, his hoop skills, and his ability to make young girls absolutely lose their minds.
Ever since Bieber's concert documentary performed well earlier this year, studios have been interested in getting him to do more film work. Beyond this Wahlberg project, he's also in discussions with Ashton Kutcher to do "What Would Kenny Do?" about a teenager who encounters a hologram of his 30-something self who wants to help guide his life. That would be a comedy, which has been his forte thus far, not counting his big death scene in an episode of "CSI." We actually hope this becomes a thing in every drama Bieber stars in.
The pairing of Bieber and Wahlberg is interesting since it brings together two guys who got their start in music, although Walhberg works very hard to make everyone forget that he was ever Marky Mark. Considering the slick, often cheesy teen pop that Bieber does, there may come a time when he wants to bury his past as well. This basketball project might be the first step in that direction.
