Back in 2008, actor Mark Wahlberg starred in Max Payne, a feature film adaptation of the video game of the same name. The film was lambasted, though many fans are saying that now’s the time to give Max Payne another shot — and they have the right actor in mind.

Currently, The Boys star Jack Quaid can be seen in Novocaine, the acclaimed action comedy film that just premiered in theaters. In the film, Quaid plays a man who has a rare condition leaving him unable to feel pain, a quality he uses in his mission to rescue his co-worker when she’s taken hostage by robbers. The action in the film has made some Max Payne fans think back to the video game, taking to social media to suggest that a new adaptation get made with Quaid in the role.

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Novocaine co-directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen have even weighed in on the resemblance between Quaid’s character in the film and Max Payne. Berk said that it was a “happy accident,” as the film wasn’t made with the Max Payne character in mind, though they can see how people have since made the comparisons.

The Similarities Were Also Noticed by Novocaine’s Directors

“It was sort of an afterthought, but then the internet sort of went ablaze with Max Payne rumors, that Jack is going to be cast. I don’t even know if that movie’s in development anymore,” Berk said, via The Movie Podcast, referring to a reboot film that was announced in “Jack, I think just has a real physical resemblance, we’ve realized, from all the online comments.”

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The original Max Payne video game was released in 2001. Players took on the role of Max Payne, a former NYPD detective trying to solve the murder of his family while investigating a mysterious new drug called “Valkyr.” The game famously utilized the “bullet-time” effect in a major way, becoming one of the first action games to do so long before it became much more commonplace. The game spawned two sequels, and there are remakes of the first two games currently in development.

Because of the success of the game, Max Payne was turned into a feature film in 2008 by writer Beau Thorne and director John Moore. Mark Wahlberg starred in the titular role while Mila Kunis co-starred as Mona Sax, another character from the game. The movie, which had a similar plot, was modestly successful at the box office with over $85 million earned. However, it has a 16% Rotten Tomatoes score and was criticized by many fans of the game, having since been largely forgotten. Perhaps a new adaptation with Quaid in the role might have better luck, given the online interest.

Novocaine is currently streaming in theaters.

Source: X

Novocaine

Release Date

March 14, 2025

Runtime

110 Minutes

Director

Dan Berk, Robert Olsen

Writers

Lars Jacobson