Mark Wahlbergcontinues to be a major presence in Hollywood movies, particularly in the action genre. Though it wasBoogie Nights(1997) that served as Wahlberg’s big break, he would go on to star in films likeThe Italian Job(2003),Four Brothers(2005),Shooter(2007), and2 Guns(2013). And not all of these films have been one-offs. Wahlberg appeared in two of Michael Bay’sTransformersmovies as Cade Yeager.
In addition to action, however, Wahlberg has been a mainstay in the comedy genre, often mixing the two together. Wahlberg starred inSpencer Confidentialin 2020, which became a major hit for Netflix. Continuing his foray into streaming action-comedies, Wahlberg appeared in Apple TV+‘sThe Family Planin 2023 andNetflix’sThe Unionin 2024, both of which were also viewership hits, even if critics weren’t impressed.
The Family Plan 2 Is On The Way
The Action-Comedy Broke A Major Streaming Record
After the first movie became a big hit,Wahlberg will return forThe Family Plan 2, alongside other original stars.The Family Planhails from director Simon Cellan Jones, and it features Wahlberg starring as Dan Morgan, a former assassin now living as a suburban father who must go on the run with his family after aspects of his past catch up to him. Also starring Michelle Monaghan and Ciarán Hinds,The Family Planbecame Apple TV+’s most-watched moviedebut ever, and it was, for a time, the streamer’s most-watched movie of all time.
Wolfsstarring Brad Pitt and George Clooneyhas since become Apple TV+’s most-viewed movie ever.
Applenow confirms thatThe Family Plan 2is coming, and it’s set to feature a lot of returning talent. In addition to Wahlberg, the sequel will feature the return of Jones as director, and Monaghan as Jessica Morgan, Dan’s wife. Zoe Colletti and Van Crosby will also return as Nina and Kyle Morgan, respectively. David Coggeshall, who wrote the first movie, returns to pen the script.
No production or release date for the film is provided, but some early plot details have been shared. According to the announcement,the sequel will follow the Morgan family in Europe at Christmas after Dan plans the perfect holiday. The holiday is threatened, however, when Dan’s past once again comes back to haunt him in surprising ways. Wahlberg shared an enthusiastic statementabout returning forThe Family Plan 2:
“I am beyond excited to step back into the shoes of Dan Morgan again alongside my brilliant co-stars, and with Simon and David returning to the helm. Making ‘The Family Plan,’ and seeing it become an instant success with global audiences in the way that it did, has been incredibly rewarding. We can’t wait to collaborate with our partners at Apple and Skydance again on this next chapter for the Morgan family as their European holiday inevitably goes awry.”
Our Take On The Family Plan 2
The Original Leaves A Lot Of Room For Improvement
ThoughThe Family Planwas a viewership hit, the critical response to the film was very underwhelming. The film currently has only a 27% onRotten Tomatoes, and it was widely criticized in reviews for offering neither strong action sequences nor big laughs. Though the film fared better with audiences and has a 61% score here,The Family Planstill struggled to ascend beyond feeling somewhat generic and disposable.
Every Mark Wahlberg Action Movie, Ranked Worst To Best
Mark Wahlberg has starred in plenty of action movies over the past 30 years, although it must be admitted some were much better than others.
The Family Plan 2, then, has an opportunity to improve on where the original fell short. Wahlberg has proven both his comedic and action talents before, so there’s certainly lots of potential to take advantage of these aspects of his movie star persona. Even if the sequel is met with a similarly poor critical reception, however, the response to the first film suggests thatThe Family Plan 2will be a major viewership success.
