When will Mark Wahlberg's Play Dirty premiere? Release date, cast details and more

Play Dirty, Mark Wahlberg's next crime thriller, is already causing a stir with action heist drama fans. Directed by Shane Black and adapted from Donald E. Westlake's Parker novels, the film returns Wahlberg to the lead of a charged, high-stakes world of crime.

Featuring an ensemble cast and a combination of crime, peril, and dark humor, Play Dirty is among the most highly anticipated streaming releases for 2025. The movie has been in development for years, with Robert Downey Jr. previously attached to the project before Wahlberg took over in the leading role.

The official synopsis of the movie reads,

"An expert thief rolls out the biggest heist of his life in Play Dirty, an action-packed thriller from director Shane Black. Parker (Mark Wahlberg), along with Grofield (LaKeith Stanfield), Zen (Rosa Salazar) and a skilled crew, stumble onto a score that pits them against the New York mob in this gritty, clever caper."

For the unversed, Mark Wahlberg's Play Dirty will premiere on October 1, 2025, on Prime Video, featuring LaKeith Stanfield, Rosa Salazar, Keegan-Michael Key, Tony Shalhoub, Nat Wolff, Chukwudi Iwuji, Thomas Jane, and more.

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When is Play Dirty releasing, and who stars in it?

Mark Wahlberg on the set of Play Dirty (Image Via Getty)

The movie will debut on October 1, 2025, and stream globally exclusively on Prime Video, where it will be available to a huge audience. Mark Wahlberg stars as Parker, the sharp-witted character who has no qualms about executing risky robberies.

LaKeith Stanfield co-stars as Grofield, another character from the Parker universe, who adds his own wit and charm to the equation.

The supporting cast features Rosa Salazar, Tony Shalhoub, Keegan-Michael Key, Nat Wolff, Chukwudi Iwuji, Gretchen Mol, Thomas Jane, and Saskia Archer.

The movie was filmed across Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, making use of iconic cityscapes and surrounding districts. The film is produced by Amazon, MGM Studios, Big Indie Pictures, and Modern Pictures.

While speaking to Esquire on Aug 26, 2025, Shane Black opened up about making the movie. Shane Black says that Play Dirty was conceived out of an enduring fascination. Having spent years laboring on large franchise movies, he acknowledged that he wanted to work on some of his own stuff and move away from IP.

But when producer Joel Silver rang in 2021, inquiring what he wished to do next, Black did not hesitate.

"If you could secure the rights to Parker, that'd be wonderful," he asked him.

The Donald E. Westlake Parker novels had been with Black since he was 17 years old, when he initially came across them on a spinner rack of a drugstore.

"The Parker novels felt gritty, dirty," he said. "They present the existence of a professional thief in stark terms. He's an anti-hero. He's a crook. He's a pragmatist. He's a planner. That appealed to me."

For Black, bringing Parker into Play Dirty involved more than just another heist movie. It involved going back to the sort of classic crime storytelling that originally defined his voice.

"When you finish them," he said of the novels, "you feel like you've been ensconced within a type of old-school storytelling."

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More about Play Dirty, and details explored

The movie is a tale of Parker, a burglar placed in the midst of a lifetime chance. He has to outwit a South American dictator, the New York mafia, and the world's wealthiest man all simultaneously.

The action is as high-stakes as it gets, with worldwide crime, politics, and treachery all blended in one thrilling heist narrative.

In production, the movie has had an interesting history. Shane Black wrote the screenplay with Charles Mondry and Anthony Bagarozzi, adapting directly from the Parker novels.

The production was initially announced in 2022 when Black and Amazon MGM Studios partnered with Team Downey, the production company of Susan Downey.

Joel Silver, a legendary producer, was initially on board, but Jules Daly stepped in as producer in 2023. Together with Susan Downey and Marc Toberoff, Daly has ensured that the project did not derail.

Production for the movie commenced in March 2024 in Sydney Harbour, Australia, with further filming taking place in Ku-ring-gai Council and the Hills District. Wahlberg and Stanfield were seen during pivotal sequences, providing fans with their first look at the movie's high-octane heist moments.

In April 2025, Saskia Archer cemented her casting in an unknown role, keeping the interest levels high as to how her character is involved in the storyline.

Music for the film features Oscar-nominated composer Alan Silvestri, who was hired in early 2025 to score Play Dirty.

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The movie releases on October 1, 2025.