Wahlberg developing basketball drama with Justin Bieber. Wait, what?

If you saw Zac Efron crooning sweet songs to his basketball in High School Musical and thought, “Hmm, I like the sports angle, but… is it tween-friendly enough?”  You’re in luck, because Mark Wahlberg says he’s developing a basketball drama with Justin Bieber.  Oh, also, Wahlberg calls Bieber the “white Tupac.”

“The world needs Justin Bieber. Justin Bieber is like the white Tupac. Compared to a lot of people.”

People like who, Danny Masterson?  Amanda Seyfried? What does that even mean? Good grief.  Anyway, let’s not get sidetracked.  Right, the basketball movie.

And is there somebody, sort of unexpected, that you want to work with?
Yeah, Justin Bieber and I are going to do a movie together …

Is that actually true?
Well, we’re putting it together. Yeah. We’re doing it at Paramount. We pitched them the idea and, you know, we’re talking about doing it. He loves the idea. He’s been sending me video, he sent me a video of himself [hee hee! -Ed.], and, yeah, I think he’s really talented. [Vulture]

Yes, being able to out-ball the Jonas Brothers is truly a feat.  Those guys aren’t even coordinated enough to stand while they pee.  But just in case you thought Wahlberg might be screwing with us, Deadline has more info on the project, which they claim as an EXCLUSIVE, with a tastefully restrained lack of “TOLDJAs” in the headline:

Bieber will star alongside Mark Wahlberg in an untitled drama that will revolve around street basketball and will give him the chance to show off his hoops skills.

The script will be written by Ian Edelman, creator of How To Make It In America, the HBO series that is exec produced by Wahlberg and Levinson, who hold the same titles on Entourage and Boardwalk Empire. The tone of the project is described as The Color of Money meets The Karate Kid, and it came out of Wahlberg and 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. [Deadline]

Sure, sure, I bet he’ll be signing that NBA contract any day now. Biebs owes all his success to me, by the way.  After that first Never Say Never trailer (the source of my banner gif), I chained him in my back yard, screaming POP STARS DON’T GET AN EXTRA STEP, TWINKLE TITS! YOU KEEP THAT GOD DAMNED PIVOT FOOT GLUED TO THE GROUND OR I’LL NAIL IT THERE! Turns out it was just what he needed to “hold his own” with six foot ten black guys.

You have to love Hollywood.  Here’s how I imagine this going down:

WAHLBERG: What I really want to do is a movie about street ball.

BARRY LEVINSON: That’s great, Marky, but you’re five foot six.  And white.

WAHLBERG: POW!  Well how about Justin Bieber?

LEVINSON: YOU’RE A GENIUS!

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