Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) returns to action genre

[great1]

CBS Films is in final negotiations with Dwayne Johnson to star in "Faster," an action drama that will be Johnson's next film.

Pic will be helmed by Phil Joanou, who directed Johnson in "Gridiron Gang." Joe and Tony Gayton wrote the script.

While Johnson most recently has toplined family comedy hits, "Faster" puts him back into edgy action territory.

He'll play an ex-con bent on avenging the death of his brother, murdered 10 years earlier when the two were double-crossed during a heist.

The film will be produced by Castle Rock's Martin Shafer and Liz Glotzer, along with Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray, who teamed with Johnson on "The Game Plan" and the upcoming "Tooth Fairy." Joe Gayton will also produce.

Lensing is set to begin in August

 

[Shai]

He was better at wrestling.

 

[plasmid303]

He's a better actor than people give him credit for. I mean, if the first feature role he chose post-wrestling was a homosexual bodyguard then I think he's taking the craft seriously. And The Rundown was a fun action flick.

He was pretty good in Southland Tales, although his performance didn't help me enjoy that rather bad movie.

 

[karamazov80]

I'm a wrestling fan, have been for many years, and honestly, I never thought Rock was a great actor at wrestling or movies. He had "wrestling charisma," in that the women and children enjoyed chanting his two catch phrases or whatever, but that was about it. In terms of his movies, I think he is an over-the-top ham.

I'm sure he is taking it seriously, but I haven't seen anything yet in his acting to warrant my taking him seriously. Dead serious, I think both Roddy Piper and Jesse Ventura can act circles around the guy, and they ain't exactly Marlon Brando. Maybe a more challenging role will show me something else, but. . .it's hard to imagine.

 

[plasmid303]

I think he has given an attempt to strip himself of that wrestling persona. In his recent films he's dropped that ridiculous arched eyebrow and "can you smell the blah blah" persona and shtick. And in regards to Ventura and Piper, how can anyone truly assess their acting chops if they've only played brief bit parts in shoddy action films and wrestling related stuff wherein they merely played themselves?

I've never been a wrestling fan, but I'm familiar with some of it's more popular grappler-turned-thespians, and while it's not saying a whole lot, Dwayne Johnson is at the top of the heap. I mean, have you seen any John Cena movies? ugh.

I guess it boils down to what movies you've seen Johnson in, but I've enjoyed most of them and not in spite of Johnson himself.

 

[Moonloop]

I enjoy the Rock's acting style, his films are entertaining and he does a good job playing his part.

He is no Oscar winning actor, but I thoroughly enjoy his films.

 

[karamazov80]

And in regards to Ventura and Piper, how can anyone truly assess their acting chops if they've only played brief bit parts in shoddy action films and wrestling related stuff wherein they merely played themselves?

Whoa whoa whoa!! I KNOW you ain't calling They Live, Predator, and Running Man "shoddy action films"

Seriously though, I've seen them through their years of wrestling and probably the bulk of their "bit parts," and they seem to me to have much more ability than Rock. You see what you see and you extrapolate.

I haven't seen Southland Tales, but I've seen just about everything else, and Rock didn't show me anything where I thought of him as a "real person." I could imagine Ventura or Piper doing different kinds of films where they could pull off characters of depth and richness (though neither had great opportunities with roles of that type). I don't see it with Rock at all.