Mark Wahlberg to star in oil rig explosion drama 'Deepwater Horizon'

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Mark Wahlberg is in negotiations to lead Deepwater Horizon.

The 43-year-old actor would portray the No. 2 manager on the BP oil rig Deepwater Horizon that exploded off the coast of Louisiana in 2010.

The explosion killed 11 workers and injured 16 others, and resulted in a massive offshore oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The accident caused the largest marine oil spill since the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989, and is considered by many to be the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history.

J.C. Chandor (Margin Call, All is Lost) will direct the film, with Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian as producers. The story is based on the New York Times article "Deepwater Horizon's Final Hours," and takes a behind-the-scenes look at the 48 hours leading up to the explosion and the unfolding disaster. The movie will shed light on the many heroic acts performed while trying to rescue those in the water.

Wahlberg will appear in Mojave later this year, and The Gambler in 2015.