Very much distinct from the insanity that is Uwe Boll‘s 2009 horror show “Rampage,” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson‘s newest starring vehicle, “Rampage,” has just dropped its first trailer. From director Brad Peyton (“San Andreas“), “Rampage” is based on an arcade game from the ’80s that I imagine is fairly obscure, given that I had never before heard of any such arcade game. I suppose it is possible, though, that you lot have all been clamoring desperately for a “Rampage” arcade game film adaptation for years now, while I have been living happily under a rock, blissfully ignorant of the public demand for “Rampage: The Game: The Movie.”
I don’t know anything about the “Rampage” universe, unfortunately, but luckily, there’s an official synopsis to guide the way:
Primatologist Davis Okoye (Johnson), a man who keeps people at a distance, shares an unshakable bond with George, the extraordinarily intelligent, silverback gorilla who has been in his care since birth. But a rogue genetic experiment gone awry mutates this gentle ape into a raging creature of enormous size. To make matters worse, it’s soon discovered there are other similarly altered animals. As these newly created alpha predators tear across North America, destroying everything in their path, Okoye teams with a discredited genetic engineer to secure an antidote, fighting his way through an ever-changing battlefield, not only to halt a global catastrophe but to save the fearsome creature that was once his friend.
USA Today talked to Johnson about the film, who is stoked to give audiences a blockbuster experience: “….you have to ratchet up the dial 10 times with Rampage… These monsters are relentless, and audiences are going to find that ride very exhilarating. As an actor in the movie, it’s fun and daunting. It’s 12- to 14-hour days of survival, and it’s not quiet survival either.”
Inexplicably, Johnson says that his work on this movie enhanced his love for wildlife: “I was an animal lover before, but after this my love has become boundless.”
“Rampage” will star Dwayne Johnson, Naomie Harris, Malin Åkerman, Joe Manganiello, Jake Lacy, Marley Shelton, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. New Line will release the film on April 20, 2018.