Dwayne Johnson has inked a deal to star and produce New Line’s new untitled action-comedy, according to Deadline, after the studio secured the high-profile vehicle in a bidding war that involved two other studios.
Likened to the mismatched buddy cop classics of yesteryear such as Lethal Weapon or Walter Hill’s 48 Hours, it’s been confirmed that Will Gluck (Easy A) will take point as director, working from a script produced by Dave Callaham. As revealed through his personal Instagram, Johnson will produce the project via his Seven Bucks banner.
After impressing in Michael Bay’s Pain & Gain not to mention his upcoming role opposite Kevin Hart in Central Intelligence, it’s little wonder why Dwayne Johnson was attracted to the project, while the box office-shaking success of San Andreas – co-produced with Warner Bros., the disaster flick pulled in almost $480 million at the worldwide box office – means that the acquisition of Johnson’s latest is a major coup for New Line.
That’s not the only reunion on the cards, however, with Dwayne Johnson set to reteam with long-time producing partner Beau Flynn (Journey 2, Hercules) for New Line’s genre throwback. Flynn, Johnson and the studio are also cooking up a live-action rendition of the classic Rampage video game.
As for this “potential franchise” that the trio are currently working on, there’s little word of a setting or even cast to surround Dwayne Johnson, but one thing’s for sure: if there’s one actor with the star power and charisma to headline an actioner in the style of Lethal Weapon, it’s Johnson.
