It looks like Joe Carnahan isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Deadline reports that the filmmaker behind Narc, Smokin’ Aces, The Grey, Boss Level, Copshop, and the recent Netflix hit The Rip, among others, has lined up his next movie. Carnahan is set to direct The Operator, a new Netflix action thriller starring Mark Wahlberg.
Written by Harrison Query, The Operator follows an ex-Tier One Operator (Wahlberg) who earns a living as one of the CIA’s invisible clean-up men. When he’s ordered to shepherd his most hated target to safety, the mission turns into a high-stakes cat and mouse game for survival.
The movie will be produced by Alex Heineman and Andrew Rona of The Picture Company, along with Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson through their Municipal Pictures banner and Scott Glassgold through 12:01 Films. Carnahan will direct from Query’s screenplay.
Query’s original The Operator spec script was acquired by Netflix in a competitive situation in December 2025. The writer has continued developing projects with the streamer, including the series The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey.
Carnahan’s involvement comes after the impressive Netflix performance of The Rip, his Miami-set crime thriller starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. The movie reportedly pulled in more than 41 million views during its first three days on Netflix in January, debuting at No. 1 and reaching the Top 10 in 93 countries.
That success makes The Operator an intriguing follow-up for Carnahan. The director has spent much of his career working in action and crime thriller territory, and a story about a former elite operative working as a CIA cleaner sounds very much like material in his wheelhouse. And with Wahlberg in the lead, The Operator has another familiar action movie heavyweight attached.
There’s currently no release date for The Operator, and details about the supporting cast and production schedule have yet to be announced.
Are you looking forward to Joe Carnahan’s The Operator? Let us know in the comments. I’m always glad to hear that there’s a new Carnahan movie coming our way and I loved The Rip, so I’m looking forward to seeing how this one is going to turn out.
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