Mark Wahlberg Shares New Details About Bringing Pete Rose’s Story to the Big Screen

Cincinnati Reds legend and Major League Baseball's all-time hits leader Pete Rose will be the focus of a new film, with actor Mark Wahlberg portraying Rose in the biopic. Wahlberg went on The Rich Eisen Show to discuss the biopic and the possibility of playing former New England Patriots and current North Carolina Tar Heels head football coach Bill Belichick in another biopic in the future.

The Film Will Cover Rose's Late Career

I believe this movie will be successful. Wahlberg confirmed many key details about the film, giving a timeline of the scriptwriting process, the storyline of everything the Reds' legend was dealing with in the years after his return to Cincinnati, and even post-career dealings with then-MLB Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti about his betting scandal.

"We've been working on Pete Rose for quite some time," Wahlberg said on The Rich Eisen Show. "We're hoping to be in production sometime in early '27."

The storyline of the film is said to follow Rose late in his career, when he returned to Cincinnati as a player/manager. That gives us a time-frame of 1984-1989; Rose retired from his playing career in 1986 and continued managing through the 1989 season and beyond.

"This is Pete when he's about to break the record," Wahlberg said. "When he's managing and when he's dealing with Giamatti and all that stuff. We've had a script, there's been various of the script but we're really close."

Rose broke Ty Cobb’s 57-year record for the most hits all-time on September 11, 1985. Rose was a full-time manager for the team after the 1986 season and was banned from baseball on August 24, 1989, after it was discovered that he was betting on baseball.

"He lived a very colorful life," Wahlberg said.

There's no confirmation just yet as to where the filming will take place, if it's going to be in Cincinnati or somewhere else.

Rose Broke Cobb's Record 41 Years Ago This Month

The record that Rose set may never be broken again. The game has changed drastically since his playing days. It's rare to see a career last as long, and players are not hitting as much as they did back in those days. Rose holds four such records that will likely stand the test of time. He holds the record for the most singles (3,562), at-bats (14,053), and games played (3,562). The active leader for games played and hits is Freddie Freeman. He has 2,587 career hits and has played in 2,319 games. The active singles leader is Jose Altuve with 1,721.

The question now is, will he actually be voted into the Hall of Fame now that he is officially reinstated? Commissioner Rob Manfred reinstated Rose, along with "Shoeless Joe" Jackson, in May 2025 after decades of ineligibility.

"I always thought that if he did, like an 'Oprah Winfrey tour' saying, ‘Don’t be like me. Gambling destroys families. I don't want to gamble anymore,’ he'd be in the Hall of Fame." Eisen said.

The earliest Rose can be put on a Hall of Fame ballot will be during the 2028 season. Rose passed away on September 30, 2024, at the age of 83.

Add us as a preferred source on Google