Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne Johnson have a lot in common even though it might not seem like that at a glance. The two of them are established Hollywood stars who have their own side businesses. Also, the two actors played two DC characters whose films ended up flopping at the box office. However, that’s not all.
Reynolds and Johnson starred together with Gal Gadot in 2021’s Red Notice film. But if things would have gone differently, the two of them would have teamed up about 15 years sooner onscreen. Also, it would have been in a film where Dwayne Johnson’s best friend Kevin Hart ultimately went on to play one of the lead roles.
Ryan Reynolds And Dwayne Johnson’s Unfulfilled 2005 Team Up Movie
The 2005 film Ride Along was an action comedy that grossed $154.5 million on a budget of $25 million. It starred Ice Cube and Kevin Hart in the lead roles. One was a cop who took his sister’s boyfriend for patrolling duty to see if he was worthy of being with her. Initially, it was planned that Dwayne Johnson was going to play the tough cop and Ryan Reynolds was going to be the security guard boyfriend.
While this film didn’t materialize, Johnson and Reynolds went on to star in Red Notice. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, The Rock explained that the two of them are contemporaries and he has known the Deadpool star the longest in the industry.
Johnson said:
“I have not known any actor in Hollywood longer than I’ve known Ryan Reynolds. We started our careers together. I had ‘The Scorpion King come out. He had ‘Van Wilder’ come out. We were criss-crossing promotions. We wound up in Cancun on ‘MTV Spring Break’ promoting our movies. We’re like an old couple who bicker and fight. And of course, we love and respect each other.”
This isn’t the only film that didn’t pan out for Johnson. In fact, he was vying for a DC role that nowadays Aquaman star Jason Momoa is rumored to playing in James Gunn’s DCU.
Dwayne Johnson Wanted To Play A Different DC Villain Before Black Adam
Before Dwayne Johnson starred in DC’s Black Adam, the wrestler-turned-actor was actually attached to play the notoriously evil but charismatic character, Lobo. The intergalactic bounty hunter is a fan favorite and an enemy of Superman. In around 2012, Johnson came on board to play the Czarnian hunter. Brad Peyton was signed on to direct. However, the movie didn’t pan out. In a 2013 interview with MTV News, The Rock stated:
“It was [something that I was going to do] for a minute, but then it kind of just went away, as things happen in Hollywood. For a minute, I was interested in it, but then it went away.”
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Over time, Johnson finally made Black Adam. However, it certainly would have been interesting to see him as Lobo. After all, he has the physique for it. But it seems like The Rock’s time to play the character has passed since not only has he exited the DC franchise, but Jason Momoa is now rumored to play the bounty hunter in Superman: Legacy. But Johnson is pretty busy himself. He is currently making Red One with Chris Evans.
Ride Along is available on Amazon Prime Video, while Black Adam is streaming on HBO Max.
