Dwayne Johnson Makes Doc Savage Movie Official

It is quite possible that Dwayne Johnson just became the hardest working actor in Hollywood. Having dropped some fairly specific hints in recent weeks, the star has now officially confirmed that he will headline a Doc Savage movie for filmmaker Shane Black and Sony Pictures, and Johnson could not be more excited for the project to begin.

While the actor is about to hit theatres with Kevin Hart in the upcoming comedy Central Intelligence, he also has Baywatch, Fast 8, a sequel to San Andreas and a reboot of Jumanji on his slate – not to mention the ongoing speculation about a possible role in the long-rumoured Shazam! film for DC and Warner Bros. It is Shane Black that has drawn a new commitment from the actor, though, as he prepares to turn Dwayne Johnson into a truly classic superhero.

Black himself is due to commence production on a Predator reboot for 20th Century Fox, before putting Doc Savage in front of cameras. But, that did not stop him meeting with Johnson, producer Hiram Garcia, and screenwriters Anthony Bagarozzi and Chuck Mondry to break ground on the new comic book movie – as Johnson documented on his Instagram account.

It’s OFFICIAL: For all comic book fans you already know the world’s first superhero (pre-dating Superman) is the “Man of Bronze” himself Clark “Doc” Savage. Want to thank my bud director/writer Shane Black and his writing team Anthony Bagarozzi and Chuck Mondry for flying in from LA and sitting with me and our @sevenbucksprod’s producer @hhgarcia41 on this Memorial Day weekend to chop up creative and break story on this very cool project. Comic book fans around the world know that the cool thing about “Doc” Savage is that he’s the inspiration for Superman. First name Clark, called “Man of Bronze”, retreats to his “Fortress of Solitude” in the Arctic etc etc. Doc was physically and mentally trained from birth by his father and a team of scientists to become the perfect human specimen with a genius level intellect. His heightened senses are beyond comprehension. He can even identify a women’s perfume from half a mile away. He is literally the master of everything. But here’s the #1 reason I’m excited to become Doc Savage.. HE’S A F*CKING HILARIOUS WEIRDO! Confidently, yet innocently he has zero social graces whatsoever due to his upbringing so every interaction he has with someone is direct, odd, often uncomfortable and amazingly hilarious. After speaking for hours w/ Shane Black I can see why the creator of Superman took only the best parts of Doc Savage and leaving the “weirdo” part behind. But to us, it’s that “weirdo” part that makes Clark “Doc” Savage dope! Can’t wait to sink my teeth into this one of a kind character. #ItsOfficial #WorldsFirstSuperhero #GeniusIntellect #PhysicalSpecimen #FnLoveableWeirdo #DocSavage

A photo posted by therock (@therock) on May 30, 2016 at 5:53am PDT

The excitement here is infectious, to say the least. Dwayne Johnson never fails to deliver in action roles, and Doc Savage would certainly fall into that category. Technically pre-dating Superman, Doc Savage is an explorer and adventurer, as well as being a scientist and inventor with genius-level intellect. Most importantly, this project will provide Johnson with a bona fide superhero franchise of his own, before he ever gets anywhere near signing on for DC’s Shazam!

The collaboration between Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, Iron Man 3, The Nice Guys) and Dwayne Johnson is virtually a guarantee of box office success – particularly in the superhero genre – and it will be refreshing to see a character stand distinct from the current obsession with cohesive cinematic universes. Though his title has been associated with Marvel and DC comic books in the past, Doc Savage is most assuredly a man apart.