Over the weekend, Dwayne Johnson hit up Instagram with an update on his upcoming adaptation of the beloved video game Rampage, revealing the first plot details (accompanied by a signature shot of him putting us all to shame in the gym, natch). Today, Warner Bros. has released the first official synopsis in a press release announcing the start of production, which will be familiar if you read Johnson's version over the weekend there's just a lot less talk about licking.
For Rampage, Johnson reteams with his San Andreas director/producer Brad Peyton, who previously described their take on the film as "a lot more emotional, a lot scarier and a lot more real" than fans of the game might be expecting.
Here's the official Rampage synopsis.
Primatologist Davis Okoye (Johnson), a man who keeps people at a distance, shares an unshakable bond with George, the extraordinarily intelligent, silverback gorilla who has been in his care since birth. But a rogue genetic experiment gone awry transforms this gentle ape into a raging monster. To make matters worse, it’s soon discovered there are other similarly altered alpha predators. As these newly created monsters tear across North America, destroying everything in their path, Okoye teams with a discredited genetic engineer to secure an antidote, fighting his way through an ever-changing battlefield, not only to halt a global catastrophe but to save the fearsome creature that was once his friend.
In addition to the synopsis, the release also confirmed the full cast and they key below-the-line creative team. Johnson is joined on-screen by Naomie Harris, Malin Akerman, Jake Lacy, Joe Manganiello and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, as well as P.J. Byrne, Marley Shelton, Breanne Hill, Jack Quaid, and Matt Gerald.
The creative team includes production designer Barry Chusid (San Andreas), director of photography Jaron Presant (2nd unit, Star Wars: The Last Jedi), editor Jim May (Goosebumps) and costume designer Melissa Bruning (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes). Music will be composed by Andrew Lockington, who's practically an expert at making music for The Rock by now after scoring San Andreas and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. Creature creations are being handled by Weta Digital and VFX supervisor Colin Strause (San Andreas).
Rampage is slated to land in theaters April 20, 2018.
