Hollywood’s second highest paid actor ($52 million) and the former WWE wrestling champion, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson seems to have come a long way from his Scorpion King days to starring in 2015’s highest grosser, Furious 7.
With only weeks away from his earth quake struck block buster, San Andreas releasing world-wide, Dwayne is yet again beaming on the news with DreamWorks announcing an altogether new venture with The Rock. DreamWorks’ latest acquired asset, Alpha Squad 7 will not only star the adrenaline pumped Johnson in the lead but will also be backed by the action star’s production company, 7 Bucks along with Beau Flynn’s FlynnPictureCo.
The collaboration of Johnson and Flynn goes back to 2012’s Journey 2 – To the Mysterious Island followed by Hercules (2014) and also the duo’s upcoming San Andreas.
Winning the bidding war to the rights of Alpha Squad 7 from various studios including Paramount, DreamWorks has already got the wheels rolling for Alpha Squad 7, which could be the next big Hollywood franchise. Conceived by writers Jeremiah Friedman and Nick Palmer, the tent-pole is expected to be on the lines of Independence Day, Armageddon and the Guardians of the Galaxy.
With no further plot details divulged apart from it flowing in the lines of a Sci-Fi Action comedy genre, Alpha Squad 7 could potentially be DreamWorks’ next highest grosser if they get the success formula right. With Dwayne’s charismatic screen presence, coupled with a crisp comic-driven script could make this original flick a sure-shot crowd puller.
Post Marvel’s successful stint with the space flick, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) striking gold at the box office, many other studios have lined up space adventures including Lucas Films, upcoming Star Wars – Episode VII – the Force Awakens. With fans craving for multi-starrer mash-ups like Avengers, Guardian of The Galaxy, Fast and Furious, Alpha Squad 7 packed with a star cast and helmed by a top-notch director, bringing in the best of special effects and some crazy punch-lines from The Rock could set the base for an altogether original franchise for our WWE champion.