Earlier this week we were the first site to bring you the news (here) that The Departed would be getting not one sequel as reported, but two. Now Mark Wahlberg (who plays Digman in The Departed) is out and talking about Departed followup, and he has confirmed our scoop.

He spoke to Empire Online about doing more with his character and said: “They’re talking about bringing in De Niro to play a senator or a congressman”, revealed the actor. “You know, the corruption obviously going deeper and higher up the ranks — reaching up the political chain. So it’ll be fun. And if it’s a success, they’re gonna do a prequel and bring everyone back…make it a trilogy.”

Of course this flies in the face of some of the earlier reports we heard, that they wouldn’t do a prequel. When we heard they were doing three Departed movies instead of just two, we assumed both would be sequels. But it looks like The Departed gang may go back on their word and dip into the prequel well.

So the only big question remaining is who will direct it? Scorsese is who they want, but he still hadn’t committed. If you read our exclusive earlier this week then you know that Children of Men’s Alfonso Cuaron and Collateral director Michael Mann are the frontrunners to fill Marty’s shoes if he declines to return.