Netflix’s upcoming action thriller The Operator lands Mark Wahlberg
Netflix is pairing fresh peril with a familiar face, building another high-stakes thriller around Mark Wahlberg — and the next move he makes is the story.
The new Netflix thriller The Operator is pulling together a punchy team: Joe Carnahan is set to direct, with Mark Wahlberg starring as a former Tier One operative who now moonlights as one of the CIA’s most discreet fixers. His latest assignment flips the job on its head — he has to extract and protect the one target he can’t stand.
That dynamic turns a standard escort mission into a lethal chess match, with old grudges and professional duty colliding mid–extraction. Wahlberg’s character is described as a quiet, surgical CIA clean-up specialist, which suggests less swagger and more ruthless efficiency.
The script comes from Harrison Query, whose original screenplay set off a bidding fight before landing at Netflix, according to Deadline. Carnahan’s hire signals the streamer is steering this one toward hard-edged action with a character-first tilt.
Harrison Query’s script sold to Netflix in December 2025 after a competitive bidding race.
For Wahlberg, it ’s a lane he knows well. He’s anchored straight-ahead action like Shooter and military drama with Lone Survivor, even as he’s bounced into comedy with equal ease.
Who’s producing
- Alex Heineman and Andrew Rona — The Picture Company
- Mark Wahlberg — producer
- Stephen Levinson — producer
- Municipal Pictures
- Scott Glassgold — 12:01 Films