First Look: Mark Wahlberg In Michael Bay's 'Pain And Gain'

We've been dying to know just how in the hell Michael Bay's Pain and Gain would turn out, because the $20 million black comedy sounds so far out of the Transformers director's usual wheelhouse. While we'll have to wait a few more months for a proper trailer to get a better sense of whether or not Bay actually nails the alleged "Pulp Fiction meets Fargo" tone, the first photos of Mark Wahlberg on set as bodybuilder-turned-kidnapper Daniel Lugo have hit the web. Wahlberg doesn't exactly look Schwarzenegger-in-his-prime buff here, but he looks pretty beefy nonetheless.

The snapshots also offer a glimpse of Rob Corddry as another former bodybuilder, though I'm a little disappointed to report that the comedic star doesn't look any more bulked up than usual.

[via Collider and Socialite Life]

Based on insane real-life events, Pain and Gain centers around a group of bodybuilders who conspire to kidnap and extort a wealthy Miami businessman (Tony Shaloub), only to find the situation spinning out of their control. Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, and Anthony Mackie lead the cast as the central bodybuilders, while Ed Harris is on board to play the private investigator going after them.

Corddry's character is an accountant and gym owner who unwittingly gets caught up in the team's scheming, and Bar Paly plays an illegal immigrant and former beauty queen. Also recently added to the project was Bridesmaids actress Rebel Wilson, as a woman who ends up in prison for her involvement in the crime. It seems like a fairly strong cast, though that's no guarantee of quality, of course — Transformers: Dark of the Moon's roster included John Turturro, John Malkovich, and Frances McDormand, after all.