Dwayne Johnson has aptly been labeled “franchise steroids” for his ability to revitalize series like The Fast and the Furious, G.I. Joe, and even Journey to the Center of the Earth with his incredible charisma and screen presence. This will be put to the ultimate test very soon, as THR now reports that Johnson is attached to star in the Baywatch movie for Paramount Pictures. Moreover, the writing team of Sean Anders and John Morris have come aboard to direct the film after making their helming debut on the upcoming comedy Horrible Bosses 2. More on this development after the jump.
Per THR, Johnson is now loosely attached to star in Paramount’s Baywatch movie as the studio is moving forward with the film by hiring Justin Malen to do a script rewrite and Anders and Morris to direct. The feature film adaptation of the delightfully cheesy 1990s TV series about pretty lifeguards running in slow motion has been in development at the studio for years, with Reno 911!’s Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant penning the previous screenplay. Garant was also attached to helm a few years ago, but the project has thus far failed to move forward.
I actually kind of love the idea of Dwayne Johnson toplining a Baywatch movie. He has proven to be formidable comedic presence in films like Pain & Gain and The Other Guys, and there’s no denying that the guy looks pretty great shirtless. Additionally, he’s a swell action star so if Paramount wants to turn this into a franchise, Johnson could easily slip into Baywatch Nights mode. The actor’s most recent film, Hercules, failed to take off at the box office, but he has Fast & Furious 7 and the disaster film San Andreas on tap and is set to make his superhero debut in Warner Bros.’ Shazam movie.
It’s unclear how soon Baywatch might be ready to go, but Paramount seems to have put together a pretty solid team so assuming everyone takes a liking to Malen’s script, it’s possible this could go before cameras sometime next year. Just remember, some people stand in the darkness...
