Dwayne Johnson has played many iconic characters and has been part of mega franchises like Jumanji, Fast and Furious, and more. However, there’s one role and franchise that doesn’t get the credit it deserves in his filmography. It’s the role of the Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns, which was his first-ever big starring role. The Mummy franchise is beloved for propelling Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz into stardom.
However, it didn’t quite do the same for Johnson. To make matters worse, his solo film, The Scorpion King (2002) isn’t considered to be amazing even though it grossed around $180 million on a $60 million budget. But more than two decades later, Johnson is ready to reimagine his first mega-movie role in a different light.
Dwayne Johnson Is Rebooting This Character
In 2020, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Dwayne Johnson through his Seven Bucks Production company and in collaboration with Universal Studios is planning to develop a reboot of The Scorpion King. Johnson expressed his excitement for the project and said:
“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.”
Dany Garcia, Johnson’s business partner and co-owner of Seven Bucks Productions stated that he is humbled to be able to reboot the film that established The Rock as a leading man. He also expressed that it’s a testament to Johnson’s unrivaled rise in Hollywood that they are now able to make The Scorpion King again. As per Garcia:
“The original Scorpion King was a crucial catalyst helping to catapult us into the world of film. 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.”
Back then it was announced that Jonathan Herman, the writer of the Oscar-nominated Straight Outta Crompton film is the one penning the script. However, no director was announced to be attached to the project and it seemed like Johnson wasn’t looking forward to starring in the reboot as well.
Read More: DC’s Original Plan Was Making Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam Debut in $747M Critical Disaster Movie
Is Dwayne Johnson Not Starring In The Scorpion King Reboot?
One would expect that Dwayne Johnson would star in a reboot of The Scorpion King. After all, it was the role that launched his Hollywood career. However, looking at a statement given at the time of the reboot announcement seems to indicate that it doesn’t seem to be the case. He stated:
“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.”
As such, it looks like Seven Bucks Productions was planning to hire a new actor for the role. So maybe the movie was going to be different to the one set in The Mummy franchise? Or is it possible that we will get to see a new Scorpion King? Plot details are scarce since there hasn’t been any substantial updates on the project since then. As such, it remains to be seen if this reboot even materializes or not.
The Scorpion King is available to stream on Netflix.
Source: THR
