The Color of Money meets The Karate Kid

Justin Bieber is in negotiations to star alongside Mark Wahlberg in an untitled drama that will revolve around street basketball. The script will be written by Ian Edelman, creator of How To Make It In America, the HBO series that is exec produced by Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson, who hold the same titles on Entourage and Boardwalk Empire. The tone of the project is described as The Color of Money meets The Karate Kid, and it came out of Wahlberg and Levinson seeing Bieber play ball in February during a celebrity game held during NBA All-Star Game weekend. Bieber more than held his own against celebs and former players; he was named MVP. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never grossed $97 million worldwide. Paramount immediately hired its director, Jon Chu, to helm its G.I. Joe sequel. But can the 17-year-old Bieber make the transition to serious actor? Wahlberg was thought of as a hip-hop artist until gritty performances in films like Basketball Diaries re-crafted his image to a point where he was honored this week for being named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People following his role as star and producer of the Oscar-nominated The Fighter.- MIKE FLEMING deadline EXCLUSIVE