The actor’s scheduling conflict prevented him from starring in the 2021 sci-fi failure that went straight to streaming after Mark Wahlberg took over.
In 2019, few film projects generated more Hollywood excitement than Infinite. Based on D. Erik Maikranz’s novel The Reincarnationist Letters, the ambitious science fiction action hybrid drew comparisons to The Matrix, Wanted, Inception and the Jason Bourne franchise. The screenplay adaptation by Ian Shorr and Todd Stein earned placement on The Black List, an industry survey recognizing outstanding unproduced scripts, and Paramount Pictures secured the property with Antoine Fuqua attached to direct.
When Chris Evans entered negotiations to star, Paramount believed it had discovered a franchise cornerstone to complement Mission: Impossible and Transformers. Then Evans withdrew due to a scheduling conflict with the miniseries Defending Jacob, and the production’s trajectory shifted dramatically.
Wahlberg assumes the lead
Mark Wahlberg replaced Evans as the film’s protagonist, and principal photography commenced in September 2019 with a supporting cast including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dylan O’Brien, Sophie Cookson, Rupert Friend and Jason Mantzoukas. The production’s final fortunate break came when filming wrapped before the global pandemic forced widespread shutdowns.
COVID disruptions compelled Paramount to postpone the movie’s release date to May 28, 2021, then September 24, 2021. Eventually the studio abandoned theatrical distribution entirely, relegating Infinite to Paramount Plus on June 10, 2021. Such treatment hardly signals confidence in a potential franchise launcher.
A derivative concept fails to connect
The film positions Wahlberg as an unemployable man with schizophrenia who discovers he belongs to a group called Infinites, beings capable of reincarnation who retain memories from past lives. These immortals divide into two factions. The Believers seek to preserve the world, while the Nihilists pursue its destruction. Wahlberg’s character experiences a form of PTSD that blocks access to his previous incarnations, creating complications for his mission.
Ejiofor portrays a prominent Nihilist who develops a doomsday weapon threatening planetary annihilation, establishing the stakes for the conflict. The Infinites demonstrate proficiency in various combat forms, but the action sequences lack the innovation or energy that distinguished the films Infinite attempted to emulate. Despite production values suggesting substantial budget allocation, the glossy presentation cannot overcome confused plotting and absurd narrative choices.
Evans made the wiser choice
Whether Evans’ participation could have salvaged the troubled production remains doubtful. While the actor ranks among Hollywood’s most charismatic performers, the fundamental issues plaguing Infinite extend beyond casting. Critics universally panned the film, noting its bland derivation from superior predecessors rather than meaningful homage or fresh interpretation. The narrative mechanics prove both silly and incomprehensible, leaving talented actors struggling unsuccessfully to sell questionable material.
Defending Jacob, the miniseries that created Evans’ scheduling conflict, received mixed critical reception and failed to generate significant cultural impact. Evans earned praise for his individual performance, but the Apple TV Plus production overall left many reviewers and viewers disappointed. For the actor who embodied Captain America across multiple Marvel films, this outcome surely registered as underwhelming.
Comparing career outcomes
Yet participating in an underwhelming limited series represents a considerably better scenario than becoming associated with a high profile failure like Infinite. The science fiction project’s direct to streaming relegation and critical drubbing would have damaged Evans’ post Marvel trajectory more significantly than a forgettable miniseries performance. While Infinite experienced a brief viewership resurgence on Prime Video in 2024, this minor revival did nothing to rehabilitate its reputation as a misguided attempt at franchise building.
The film’s journey from hot spec script to streaming afterthought illustrates how quickly Hollywood fortunes can reverse. What appeared destined to anchor Paramount’s franchise slate instead became a cautionary tale about derivative storytelling and mismanaged expectations. For Wahlberg, the project offered no career boost, merely adding another underwhelming entry to his filmography alongside more successful ventures.
Evans, meanwhile, continued building his post Marvel career with selective choices that avoided the pitfalls that doomed Infinite. His scheduling conflict, initially appearing as an unfortunate professional obstacle, ultimately protected him from association with one of 2021’s most conspicuous misfires. In an industry where timing and luck often matter as much as talent, Evans benefited from fortuitous circumstances that steered him away from a project that seemed promising but delivered disappointment.
The mystery surrounding Infinite today centers not on whether Evans could have improved it, but why such obviously flawed material proceeded to expensive production in the first place.