Having conquered the world of sports as a wrestler, and proving his presence will uplift any franchise (“Fast Five,” “G.I. Joe: Retaliation“), Dwayne Johnson is ready to bring his swagger to the small screen, in a project produced by his good buddy and “Pain & Gain” co-star, Mark Wahlberg.
HBO has given the thumbs up to a comedy pilot starring The Rock, with Peter Berg reteaming with his “The Rundown” star to direct. Penned by Steven Levinson (“Entourage“) the show will be set in Miami, and will follow the lives of athletes, both retired and still active, with Johnson to take one of the lead roles. That’s about all the details for now, but the network seems to be pretty happy, with production on the pilot slated to begin in the fall. Unless it’s a disaster, we doubt this will have a problem getting a series order.
And since we’ve mentioned Berg, who is currently in post on his war flick “Lone Survivor” (starring Wahlberg — so many connections…), he’s eyeing the director’s chair on a movie about renowned enforcer Derek Boogaard for Focus Features. The brawler passed at 28 years old due to a mix of pills and booze, and the project will be based on the New York Times article “Punched Out: The Life And Death Of A Hockey Enforcer,” with a script by Ryan Condal (“Hercules“). And on top of another HBO gig helming the pilot for Damon Lindelof‘s “The Leftovers,” Berg is a busy, busy man. [Deadline]