With the massive bloodletting at the climax of “The Departed,” you’d think it might be hard to make a sequel. Well, a domestic take of $125.2 million is making Warner Bros. Pictures and director Martin Scorsese think not.
Talks are under way to put together a sequel to the crime thriller, which has garnered five Oscar nominations and is the biggest boxoffice hit of Scorsese’s long career. Sources say that “Departed” writer William Monahan is working on a take that would bring back the temperamental foul-mouthed cop played by Mark Wahlberg, who received an Oscar nomination for the role, and introduce a new character to be played by none other than Robert De Niro.
Sources caution that Scorsese would need to approve any take before development was to move forward. A prequel is not being ruled out, either. “Departed” is an adaptation of the Hong Kong pic “Infernal Affairs,” to which Warners acquired the rights in 2003. The studio also had option rights to the movie’s two sequels.
It is unclear if this new movie would fall under that agreement since Monahan’s take could end up being an original story. The acclaimed Chinese movies are regarded as “The Godfather” of Asian cinema, with the 2003 sequel being a prequel, much like “The Godfather 2.” The third movie combined elements of the first two movies. Warners declined comment.
