Actor Dwayne Johnson recently announced he's planning to reboot The Mummy's film spinoff that made him a blockbuster star, The Scorpion King.
Johnson will not star as the movie's lead but will produce the feature film alongside Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions company, as reported by Deadline.
Universal Pictures also signed on to oversee the film's production beside Johnson and Garcia. Although no plot details have been released for this upcoming reboot, the production team did confirm that Jonathan Herman (Straight Outta Compton) will pen the script.
Johnson is booked into acting roles well into 2022, which makes him ineligible for a leading role in the film. However, since 2002's The Scorpion King is a movie that holds a special place in Johnson's heart -- being his first leading role -- it's highly likely that the actor will make an appearance in the film.
“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," Johnson said, reflecting on the role's impact on his current acting stardom.
“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," he added.
“The original Scorpion King was a crucial catalyst helping to catapult us into the world of film,” Garcia remarked. “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.”
The Scorpion King is an action-adventure, fantasy film, starring Dwayne Johnson, Kelly Hu, Grant Heslov and Michael Clarke Duncan. The feature film was directed by Chuck Russell and was a spinoff of 1999's The Mummy. The film acted as a prequel to The Mummy and revolved around the character Mathayus (Johnson) and how he rose to power, becoming the infamous Scorpion King.
Source: Deadline