The Rock To Produce New Scorpion King Movie
Universal Pictures, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and his Seven Bucks Productions company is looking to re-launch a new Scorpion King movie, according to Deadline.
With Rock's acting schedule booked through 2022, they are looking to find a new actor to play the action hero, and a director to lead the movie. It was also noted that it's likely Rock will not appear in the movie, but because of how important the film is to Rock and the studio, there's always a possibility that he makes an appearance when the movie finally gets into production.
The Scorpion King has a soft spot in The Rock's heart as it marked his acting debut, first appearing as the character in Universal's box office hit The Mummy Returns. The spin-off focused on the character and helped turn Rock into a full-fledged movie star.
"The Scorpion King was my very first role ever on the silver screen and I'm honored and excited to reimagine and deliver this cool mythology to a whole new generation," Rock said. "I wouldn't have had the career I'm lucky enough to have had it not been for The Scorpion King and I'm thrilled that we at Seven Bucks Productions can help create those same opportunities for other hardworking actors today. I believe Jonathan Herman will put in the hard work to deliver a fantastic script for our global audience."
The original Scorpion King movie followed a desert warrior that rises up against the evil army that is destroying his homeland. Plot details are vague on what the reboot will do different from the original, but it was noted that unlike the original, the new movie will be a contemporary take set in modern times.
As Rock noted in the quote above, Jonathan Herman will write the script. He has been a fan of the studio since his work on the NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton. He was also recently tapped to do a re-write on the F9 movie for the Fast & Furious franchise, and is one of the writers on the new Scarface movie from Universal.
Rock and his business partner Dany Garcia will produce the movie, along with Hiram Garcia of Seven Bucks. Universal's Senior VP Production Jay Polidoro and creative executive Tony Ducret will oversee the project on behalf of that studio.
Stay tuned for updates.