Buoyed by a lucrative box-office take and several Oscar nods, The Departed may be sticking around.

Talks are underway to make a sequel to director Martin Scorsese's violent crime thriller, according to a report Wednesday in the Hollywood Reporter.

Mark Wahlberg's Sergeant Dignam is rumoured to be involved in a proposed sequel to The Departed.
(Andrew Cooper/Warner Bros.)

Departed writer William Monahan is working on a new story involving the foul-mouthed cop played by Mark Wahlberg — who earned one of the film's five Oscar nominations for the role — and a new character to be played by Scorsese favourite Robert DeNiro, sources told the Reporter.

Scorsese, who has never made a sequel to one of his own films, would have to approve any new take before it could be developed, the Reporter said.

Scorsese's biggest hit

Warner Bros., which owns the rights to Infernal Affairs, the Hong Kong film on which The Departed is based, also has option rights to the movie's two sequels.

The second instalment of the Infernal Affairs trilogy is a prequel, raising the possibility that the proposed new Departed film could go in the same direction.

Since its release in early October, The Departed has grossed over $121 million at U.S. box offices, making it the most lucrative hit of Scorsese's career.

Along with Wahlberg's best supporting actor nomination for playing the scrupulous Sergeant Dignam, The Departed garnered Oscar nods for best picture, director, adapted screenplay, and film editing.

The Academy Awards will be handed out Feb. 25 in Hollywood.