Warner Bros. and New Line Pictures have won a hotly contested auction for The King, a package deal from Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions, which will see The Rock starring as the Hawaiian king Kamehameha the Great. Robert Zemeckis (Allied) from a script by Randall Wallace (Braveheart).
Kamehameha was the founder and ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii, being the first person to unite the warring Hawaiian islands. The film is said to have been a dream project of Johnson’s since he first made the transition from the WWE ring to the movie industry, and the ambition is to deliver a historical epic similar to that of Braveheart in scope.
“From the day I began my Hollywood career (2001), my dream was to bring this legacy to life,” said Johnson on Instagram. “In Polynesian culture we have a belief, that something isn’t done when it’s ready… it’s done when it’s right. The cultural and historical significance of this role, I hold with the highest respect and reverence, and I’m honored to share the epic story of our people and culture with the world. Imua!”
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Johnson is currently filming Jungle Cruise for Disney, and has a host of projects in various stages of development including the Fast & Furious spinoff Hobbs and Shaw, Paige biopic Fighting with My Family, action thriller Red Notice, a Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle sequel, and the DC film Black Adam.
