Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson can pretty much do whatever he wants in Hollywood. As one of the few remaining “action stars,” Johnson has nothing but options when it comes to what projects he chooses to do. “Fast and Furious?” Sure! A superhero film? Take 10 years and work on “Black Adam!” And now, he’s got his sights set on rebooting the film that really kickstarted his acting career, “The Scorpion King.”
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According to THR, Johnson and his producing partner Hiram Garcia are looking to reboot “The Scorpion King.” The original 2002 film is a spinoff of “The Mummy” franchise from the early 2000s and featured Johnson playing the title character, Mathayus, and his rise to become the legendary Scorpion King. But for this reboot, Johnson has brought on Jonathan Herman, the writer behind “Straight Outta Compton,” to reimagine “The Scorpion King” for a new audience by placing the story in modern times. And perhaps most surprising of all, Johnson isn’t looking to star as the title character this time around. Instead, he may just appear in a supporting role, if at all.
“‘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,” said Johnson. “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 hard working actors today. I believe Jonathan Herman will put in the hard work to deliver a fantastic script for our global audience.”
Producer Hiram Garcia added, “The original ‘Scorpion King’ was a crucial catalyst helping to catapult us into the world of film. To be able to now produce the next iteration as part of our Seven Bucks Productions slate is a special, full circle moment, a testament to what we have been fortunate enough to build for our audience and ultimately a humble reminder of the timeless value of authentic storytelling.”
As mentioned, Dwayne Johnson is a powerhouse in Hollywood and can get whatever he wants made. So, it shouldn’t be all that shocking that he’s going back to where it all started, with “The Scorpion King.” We’ll just have to see if this sort of reboot is going to launch another career or kickstart a new franchise.