It’s been seven years since Shane Black directed his last feature, 2018’s The Predator. The Predator installment fell outside of Black’s wheelhouse of blending action and comedy, i.e., Lethal Weapon and The Nice Guys. The first trailer for Play Dirty, a heist movie releasing on Prime Video this fall, suggests a return to Black’s comfort zone.
Mark Wahlberg stars as Parker, an expert thief betrayed by a mysterious woman, Zen (Rosa Salazar), who kills his entire team. Instead of revenge, Parker agrees to work with her to “rob an entire country” by stealing a sunken treasure worth a billion dollars.
Parker assembles a team, including his right-hand man, Grofield (LaKeith Stanfield), to execute the heist. The job isn’t without its dangers, as Parker takes on the mafia, a billionaire, and an army.
Play Dirty also stars Keegan-Michael Key, Chukwudi Iwuji, Nat Wolff, Thomas Jane, and Tony Shalhoub. The movie is based on the Parker book series by Richard Stark, a pen name for author Donald E. Westlake.
Black directs Play Dirty from a screenplay he co-wrote with Charles Mondry and Anthony Bagarozzi. Black broke out as an actor on Predator, where he provided uncredited rewrites to the script. Black then went on to pen some of the most memorable action scripts of the late ’80s and early ’90s, including Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout, and Last Action Hero.
Black directs Play Dirty from a screenplay he co-wrote with Charles Mondry and Anthony Bagarozzi. Black broke out as an actor on Predator, where he provided uncredited rewrites to the script. Black then went on to pen some of the most memorable action scripts of the late ’80s and early ’90s, including Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout, and Last Action Hero.
Black made his directorial debut on Kiss Kiss Bang before later helming Iron Man 3 and The Nice Guys.
Robert Downey Jr. is an executive producer on Play Dirty alongside his wife, Susan. Downey was originally attached to star before Wahlberg stepped in as the lead. It would have been a reunion for Downey and Black, who previously worked together on the underrated Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and the MCU’s Iron Man 3.
Play Dirty begins streaming exclusively on Prime Video on October 1, 2025.
