According to Deadline, The Rock has officially announced that he will produce the brand new, as yet unnamed Scorpion King movie alongside Universal Pictures under his Seven Bucks Production company.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson will not reprise his role as Mathayus from the original motion picture as his acting schedule is said to be immovable until the end of 2022. Instead, a new actor will be sought to fill the role.
However, the star has said that should time be found during production, he is likely to make a short cameo appearance as the role means everything to him, giving him his first big Hollywood break.
Speaking on the role that made him a mega-star and his role in the upcoming production, ‘The People’s Champion’ 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. 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 hardworking actors today. I believe Jonathan Herman will put in the hard work to deliver a fantastic script for our global audience.”
For the new flick, Straight Outta Compton screenwriter Jonathan Herman has been recruited to add more grit and darkness to the tale, though at present very few details are known of the movie’s plot expect that it will be set in modern times.
The Rock was said to have been especially keen on Herman’s inclusion after his re-writes on the F9 movie and his script for the remake of Scarface.
The original Scorpion King movie spawned four straight to DVD sequels in The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior starring Michael Copon in the main role, The Scorpion King 3: The Battle For Redemption with Victor Webster as Mathayus and Ron Pearlman and WWE’s Dave Bautista co-starring, The Scorpion King 4: Quest For Power also with Victor Webster and The Scorpion King 5: The Book of Souls with Zach McGowen.