As for Hanks, the seasoned actor is likely to weather this storm with his usual grace and poise. He’s survived being stranded on a desert island and landing a plane on the Hudson River (on screen, at least), so a little Hollywood squabble is unlikely to faze him.

In the end, this bizarre episode serves as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of show business. One moment you’re planning a multi-million dollar collaboration with one of America’s most beloved actors, and the next, you’re calling him a ‘woke creep’ and walking away from it all. Only in Hollywood could such a script be written – and even then, it might be too far-fetched to believe.

As we wait to see how this story unfolds, one thing is certain: the Wahlberg-Hanks saga is yet another chapter in the never-ending drama that is Hollywood. It’s a place where egos clash, values collide, and the line between reality and fiction is often blurred. And in this case, it seems Wahlberg has chosen to bow out of this particular scene, leaving us all wondering what could have been in the blockbuster that never was.