The Rock Is Teaming With A Surprise Partner: Martin Scorsese

It’s hard to remember a time when Dwayne Johnson wasn’t a big name in Hollywood. I can still see a smiling Rocky Maivia as he made his way down the entrance ramp. The People’s Champion laid the Smackdown on many wrestlers whilst clad in gym pants. Still, once the man Formerly Known As The Rock began working in La-La Land, he became just as massive a force on screen as he was in the ring. He led huge blockbusters, had a huge feud, and managed to find himself resting on his laurels by playing the same character over and over again.

I knock because I love. There’s nothing more I would want from ole Dwayne Johnson than to see his acting career reflect Batista’s more than Hogan’s. The man is capable of so much but has spent the last decade and a half playing characters who are essentially himself while wearing shirts with many pockets. He spent the early part of his career trying to stretch himself, then found a comfortable corner and hasn’t moved from it since. However, the post-Black Adam Johnson has been making more interesting moves.

First came his WWE debacle. He tried to return to the place that made him a star by inserting himself into a long-running story people were very invested in. They rejected him, and instead of taking the defeat, he turned it into one of the biggest storylines in the company’s history, where he played the bad guy (or Final Boss). He followed that up by announcing he’d star in The Smashing Machine. The film is about former UFC fighter Mark Kerr and was directed by Benny Safdie. That is exciting enough, but now Johnson wants to take his career reinvention a step further.

Deadline is reporting that Johnson is teaming up with Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Emily Blunt to bring a new movie to theaters. Described as Goodfellas meets The Departed, the film will focus on a charismatic mob boss who is running the crime scene in Hawaii in the 1960s and 70s. According to the report, Johnson and Blunt brought this idea to long-time collaborators Scorsese and DiCaprio. If it gets behind cameras, it has all the makings of an epic crime thriller, which Scorsese is more than familiar with.

We won’t know how this movie will shake out. It may not even get picked up by a studio. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t through the roof excited. This is the kind of stuff Johnson should have been doing for years! His acting ability is undeniable; he just hasn’t had to stretch himself for too long. The closest we’ve seen is him doing a Danny DeVito impression in a Jumanji movie (and don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed that impression). I’m more interested in the hungry Rock who has something to prove. We’ve seen him before, with a project like this, we may see him again.