When it was first announced that Chuck Russell (The Scorpion King) will direct a 3D period epic with Liam Hemsworth (The Last Song) at the center, it all sounded a bit silly.  But then Anthony Hopkins signed on and... well, it still sounded silly, but mostly because his character is described as "an evil sorcerer who killed Sinbad’s love, a mermaid, and is looking to amass more magic for himself."  Production Weekly reports that Dwayne Johnson has been "mentioned" for the role of Sinbad in the film.  The news doesn't pull Arabian Nights too far away from "silly," but it gives the film a weighty push toward "fun."

Should he sign on, Nights would reunite the former wrestler with the director who gave him his big break on The Scorpion King: I hope the film amounts more than Johnson returning a favor, but I'm skeptical at this point.  Johnson will next be seen in Faster starting November 24th (check out Steve's set report here), followed by the Fast and Furious sequel Fast Five on June 10, 2011.