Making Rampage allowed Dwayne Johnson to bring a childhood favourite pastime to life.
Rampage, the upcoming blockbuster staring Dwayne Johnson, is based on a 80s video game that delighted the star as a boy. Speaking to Variety (via Yahoo Entertainment), Johnson spoke about his experience playing the game as a kid:
“I was a very big fan of the video game growing up, I started playing it in Hawaii when I was 13 years old in a pool hall — in a really dingy s—hole pool hall I had no business being in, especially during school hours — and I would drop quarters in the ‘Rampage’ video game all the time,” Johnson said at the film’s premiere.
“’Rampage’ was one of those video games where one would think years later, it’s not the most sought-after intellectual property to remake because the storyline isn’t that complicated,” Johnson continued, “so we brought in some great writers and everybody kind of galvanized together and created a backstory.”
And when asked who win in a fight between his characters in Rampage and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Johnson didn’t hesitate with his response:
“My character from Jumanji, I don’t know of another character that could ever beat that character because that’s the thing — when you have superhero powers and you’re a terrified teenager, it’s a very dangerous combo, especially with all the hormones.”
The Rampage premiere was held at the downtown Los Angeles Microsoft Theater on Wednesday.
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“Primatologist Davis Okoye (Johnson), a man who keeps people at a distance, shares an unshakable bond with George, the extraordinarily intelligent, silverback gorilla who has been in his care since birth. But a rogue genetic experiment gone awry transforms this gentle ape into a raging monster. To make matters worse, it’s soon discovered there are other similarly altered alpha predators. As these newly created monsters tear across North America, destroying everything in their path, Okoye teams with a discredited genetic engineer to secure an antidote, fighting his way through an ever-changing battlefield, not only to halt a global catastrophe but to save the fearsome creature that was once his friend.”
Rampage sees director Brad Peyton reteaming with his San Andreas star Dwayne Johnson and features a cast that also includes Naomie Harris, Joe Manganiello, Malin Akerman, Marley Shelton, Jake Lacy, Breanne Hill, P.J. Byrne, Jack Quaid, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Matt Gerald. It is set for release on April 11th in the UK and April 13th in North America.
