Dwayne Johnson to play “World’s First Superhero”
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has been in the thick of Hollywood for a good while. The iconic wrestler has made himself at home in action movies (and a few comedies) since breaking out as the Scorpion King in the “Mummy” trilogy, and in the past few years, have been a part of the box-office juggernaut “Fast & Furious” franchise, and has projects like “Baywatch” in the release pipeline. Less than two days after he posted a photo and hints about his role in the upcoming “Fast 8” on his Facebook page, The Rock has made yet another massive announcement: he is set to bring Clark ‘Doc’ Savage to life on the big screen.
Doc Savage, the character that first appeared in US pulp magazines in the 30s and 40s, has remained a nostalgic icon in the US, going on to appear in comic books, radio, film and paperback books. Sometimes termed the world’s first superhero, Savage, pre-dating Superman, is said to have inspired the Caped Crusader icon in many ways: he’s called the ‘Man of Bronze’ (Superman, of course, is ‘Man of Steel’); they share the same first name; and Savage, in his stories, often retreated to his ‘fortress of solitude’ (sounds familiar, Superman fans?).
Johnson also details that director Shane Black along with writing team, and reps from Seven Bucks Productions, sat together over the Memorial Day Weekend to chalk up details of the project. Shane Black had first written a Doc Savage screenplay in 2009 but not much happened after that, and there was earlier news that he was mulling reviving the project with Johnson. Johnson’s Facebook post also gives a sneak into Savage’s character: “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.”
With his recent momentum in his acting career, it was perhaps only a matter of time before Johnson would land up in a superhero film, but to have him play a solo superhero, that too, a classic character could be very, very interesting. Shane Black isn’t a total newbie to superhero films, directing Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” – which many consider to be one of the best films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the best Iron Man film. His dealing of comedy and crime is not too shabby either, with 2005s “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” being a case in point.
This, however, is not the first adventure of Man of Bronze on the big screen. There was a film made in 1975 by Michael Anderson, with Ron Ely playing the titular role.
There is no release date on the radar for now, but Johnson’s super-active social media will probably keep fans up to speed as the project moves along.
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