KUCHING: Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg is seen filming scenes for Netflix’s upcoming thriller The Big Fix in Penang, with production expected to continue across several locations in the state over the next two weeks, the New Straits Times (NST) reported.
Filming began on Friday at locations including Lorong Kulit, City Stadium, Batu Kawan Stadium and Macallum Field, with Penang Island City Council mayor Datuk A. Rajendran confirming the production schedule.
The production attracted public attention after videos surfaced on social media showing Wahlberg at what appeared to be a filming location along Lebuh Melayu in George Town, standing beside a silver Perodua Kelisa while surrounded by cameras, production vehicles and crew.
Wahlberg also shared an Instagram video with Rev Fr Michael Raymond, parish priest of the Church of Divine Mercy, captioning the post: “Happy Sunday brother. God bless you. Stay prayed up, from Malaysia.”
National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) chairman Datuk Hans Isaac also acknowledged the production after meeting Wahlberg and members of the Malaysian National Film Board team on set.
The Big Fix follows an Interpol officer investigating a global football match-fixing syndicate linked to FIFA. The Netflix production stars Wahlberg alongside British actor Riz Ahmed, with Singapore’s Chin Han, Malaysian actress Nuha Jes Izman, Indian actor Vipin Sharma, Natalie Dormer, Susan Lynch and Gabriel Leone also featuring in the cast.
Before becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest action star, Wahlberg first found fame in the early 1990s as rapper Marky Mark with Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.
He later transitioned into acting and went on to headline blockbuster films including the Transformers franchise, Ted, The Departed, The Fighter, The Italian Job, Lone Survivor and Patriots Day.
The project was first announced in 2016 as a 20th Century Fox production inspired by Brett Forrest’s ESPN Magazine investigation, All The World Is Staged.
A decade later, it was revived by Netflix, with Baltasar Kormákur directing and producing from a screenplay by Guy Bolton and Justin Haythe. Principal photography began in Sydney in April before moving to additional international locations, including Penang.
