On the back of the announcement that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is making a TV series based on his own life, Young Rock, he is now teaming up with Universal Pictures to reboot The Scorpion King.
“The Scorpion King was my very first role ever on the silver screen and I’m honoured and excited to reimagine and deliver this cool mythology to a whole new generation,” Johnson said in a statement, reported by Deadline.
Johnson, who played Mathayus in the 2002 version of the film, says he owes his successful acting career — which includes voicing Maui in Disney’s Moana — to the role.
“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,” he said.
According to the outlet, Johnson will be passing the torch of the lead role onto a new actor as he is booked out with projects until the end of 2022 — although, there is a good possibility he will either cameo or have a small role.
Inspired by the legendary Egyptian warrior, The Scorpion King was set 5000 years ago in the notorious city of Gomorrah, where an evil ruler is determined to lay waste to all the nomadic peoples of the desert. The few remaining tribes, never natural allies, have to unite or perish. Knowing their enemy relies on the visions of a sorcerer, they hire a skilled assassin, Mathayus (Johnson), to eliminate the visionary.
“The original film followed a desert warrior that rises up against the evil army that is destroying his homeland. Plot details are vague on what this reboot will do differently than the original, but sources do say that unlike the original, this one will be a contemporary take set in modern times,” Deadline also explained.
The original film was a spin-off of the Brendan Fraser Mummy franchise where Johnson debuted his acting chops, with the movie earning $178 million USD worldwide.
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