Julian Edelman’s sports documentary, 100% Julian Edelman, premieres this week (Friday, June 28) on Showtime. The film chronicles the New England Patriots receiver’s effort to return to the field after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee. The injury cost him the entire 2017 season.
On his way back, Edelman was also tagged with a four-game PED suspension that sidelined him for the first quarter of the 2018 campaign. Eventually, the receiver made an emphatic return to the NFL that ended in triumph with a Super Bowl championship, the game’s MVP award and later, a two-year, $18 million contract extension.
It’s a good story and should make for a great documentary. One filmmaker who wanted to tell Edelman’s story but apparently didn’t get to was Patriots fan Mark Wahlberg.
The actor and producer is one of many celebrities and athletes interviewed for the film but Wahlberg wanted a more active role behind the camera, as seen in this promo released by Showtime:
Wahlberg has a point. If anyone’s going to ask for his time on a project, he has plenty of input to offer as a producer. Besides his numerous acting credits, Wahlberg has been a producer (via IMDB) on films including The Fighter, Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon, Patriots Day and Instant Family. On the TV side, Wahlberg has produced Entourage, Boardwalk Empire, and Ballers.
So it’s understandable that he might want to do more than be a talking head on camera.
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Oh, one more TV series that Wahlberg executive-produced: How to Make It in America, created by… Ian Edelman. Not much is available about Ian’s background, including his relationship to Julian Edelman. But look at a photo and there does seem to be a family resemblance.
Wahlberg is also producing an untitled basketball project being written by Edelman. He probably thought he had a foot in with a Julian Edelman sports documentary. Alas, he has no role behind the scenes with 100% Julian Edelman. The film’s executive producer is Edelman’s business partner Assaf Swissa, who is also credited as a writer. (Edelman himself credited Swissa in an Instagram post.)
Wahlberg apparently isn’t as much in the Edelman inner circle as he may have believed. He’s interviewed along with Tom Brady, Michael Strahan, Deion Sanders, and Snoop Dogg. Could any of those guys have been a creative force behind the documentary? Edelman should probably forget about a role in Ted 3, if that’s ever being made.
Narrated by Michael Rapoport (maybe Wahlberg is sore about that too), 100% Julian Edelman also looks at Edelman’s path to the NFL. Edelman’s father played in his son’s football development, from playing quarterback at the College of San Mateo to a three-year career at Kent State (where he led the Golden Flashes in passing and rushing during his senior year), then being drafted by the Patriots in the seventh round.
Without Mark Wahlberg as executive producer, 100% Julian Edelman will premiere Friday, June 28 at 9 p.m. ET.
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Mark Wahlberg Annoyed at Not Producing Julian Edelman’s Documentary